Thursday, August 11, 2011

SHG and MRI

My SHG showed no fibroids, polyps or major concerns.  It was simple and quick.  The only pain I felt was when the water was injected into my uterus as my uterus was expanding I had a lot of pressure and some pain.  They told me it would feel like cramps but it felt more like severe cramps to me!  The good thing is that part went quickly and the whole procedure was soon over.
The only side affect afterwards was leaking water throughout the day….fun fun, and spotting which lasted only a few days.  Generally any time that the cervix is messed with you will end up with spotting so no surprise there.

My MRI was yesterday.  It was an MRI with and without contrast.  I had to arrive at 7:30am at RMH.  For all procedures like this you must get pre-approval from your insurance company or they will not pay for it.  My doctor's office got all of that done for me before I even scheduled the appointment and I had also received a letter in the mail reassuring me that it was an approved MRI.  Of course, with an MRI you cannot wear any metal of any kind and they ask you many questions before hand to ensure that there is no chance of metal being in your body.  The MRI machine uses magnetic fields and pulses of radio wave energy to look at, in my case, my pelvis including uterus and ovaries.  WebMD explains what an MRI in more detail.

For MRI study of your pelvis you have to lay on your back and they put this coil over the lower half of your body and kind of strap you in.  I was thankful that I did not have to go very far into the tunnel of the MRI machine, I wouldn't say I am claustrophobic but who likes to be stuck in very small space like that?  I was given headphones with music playing.  However, when the machine was going I could only faintly hear the music.  The machine makes loud taps and pulsing noises during the sets.  In between the imaging sets I was allowed to move or adjust if I needed to, but while the machine was going you are not to move in any way!  For the last two sets I was injected with contrast.  It was injected into the vein in my arm in which blood is usually drawn from.

Thankfully, I received the results the same day!  They had been reviewed by the radiologist at the hospital and then by my doctor.  The results only showed what we had already learned from the SHG.  I have an arcuate uterus.

A. is a normal uterus. B is  unicornuate C. is arcuate (which is what I have) D. Septate E. Bicornuate    F. Didelphic uterus with a septate vagina 
These images are from GLOWM.  

My doctor said that an arcuate uterus is not known to cause any pregnancy complications so she is not concerned and believes that I can carry and deliver a healthy baby.  

Next week is my fertile week so KMFX for a BFP in the next few weeks!  

2 comments:

  1. Glad you got these done! Sounds like it's pretty good news! Enjoy your fertile week!

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  2. I just found out I have an arcuate uterus too. I suffered my second miscarriage on Christmas Eve. Both were at the six week mark. Doc told me to take it easy as I am only 1.5 weeks since the loss. Your story gives me hope that I too will be able to conceive again. Thanks so much for your bravery in sharing. :)

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