The Fertility Test Was Routine. The Extreme Pain Was Anyt...

What’s Happening

Breaking it down: HSG testing is a common practice in the fertility world.

Why don’t women know what they’re actually getting into? WITH MY FEET in the stirrups, I felt an electric jolt of pain roll through my abdomen. (plot twist fr)

I gripped the sides of the examination table, knuckles turning white.

The Details

The two Tylenol the nurse had told me to take that morning must have gotten took an L on their way to my uterus. As tears streamed down my face, I raised my head to look at my stomach, feeling slightly betrayed: The throbbing emanating from there was so intense I expected to see some kind of gore, but I only saw my bare skin through the opening of the examination gown.

The X-ray machine positioned over me appeared for a moment like some kind of modern monster. As the pain slowly began to lessen after a minute or two, I looked around in a state of shock.

Why This Matters

I had just experienced the type of pain that some, I would later learn, compare to labor contractions. At 37 years old, I found myself on the examination table getting a common fertility test called a hysterosalpingogram, or HSG—which checks for blockages or other irregularities in the uterus or fallopian tubes using an X-ray—after my partner and I kicked off to discuss family planning options. Did we want to be child-free and become the most epic aunts and elders our friends’ kids would ever see?

This is the kind of health news that affects everyday decisions.

Key Takeaways

The jury was still out on the how , so we decided to start with understanding the what of my fertility.
And I showed up to my appointment to answer that question with no real pain management method, no plan, and, most importantly, no warning.
She looked at me and her face fell.