I just had an HSG for first time this month and it was done at Suburban Imaging in Bethesda. The nurse and doctor there were fantastic and I was fascinated by seeing the test results xray afterwards (normal and all clear!). I have a pretty high pain threshold so I really wasn't that worried about it and took two Advil an hour before the scheduled procedure. It wasn't a terrible experience but not as easy as I thought would be. The usual discomfort from speculum, but the catheter insertion/balloon/dye filling my uterus brought on more "pinching" and cramping discomfort than I was expecting for the minute or so this part of the procedure takes. And I felt a low level of residual pinching/cramping for about 12 hours following procedure, and had some spotting for 24 hours following. I feel a bit crappy for rest of the day after test, but I was just guessing that was a reaction to my body absorbing the dye from the test. It wasn't an intolerable experience to do once, but I would cringe if the doctor told me I had to have one again.

it was horrible maybe coz my tubes were blocked

I had mine done at Kaiser Gaithersburg to save money because we're at SGF out of pocket. I was really worried too but it wasn't painful, just uncomfortable.

FYI, this may not be relevant for many of you, but you CAN'T do the procedure with an IUD! They almost tried with it in until I started asking questions. I have never tried to conceive naturally--we're doing IVF-PGD to prevent hereditary disease.

i was freaking out because so many people wrote how painful it is - for me i didnt feel a thing!!!! so don't stress yourself out too much! I did and felt silly for doing so afterwards!

I've had two. The first one hurt, second one was at Shady Grove and was a piece of cake in comparison. The doc at SG explained the different kind of catheters they use which apparently makes a difference.

I had one today, October 16th, 2013. It was not painful at all and I do not do well with pain. The most uncomfortable part was the speculum. That is the same no matter where you go, a speculum is never a very comfortable thing. The actual procedure was fine. A small catheter about the size of a spaghetti noodle is placed into the cervix with a tiny balloon on the end. They blow the balloon up and then inject a liqueur to see if the tubes are blocked. I had a few cramps like light menstrual cramps but hardly any pain at all. I wanted to post this just to give piece of mind. I read the internet before I went and was terrified. Was nothing like all the painful stories I read. I had a great nurse and radiologist and thank them very much for the good experience! Good luck to you!

Had my HSG test done 2 days ago and it was painless, it didnt hurt at all. After worrying myself for about a week thinking it was going to hurt, it did not.

Didn't take "advise" but Advil ^^

Didn't have an hsg but had a saline u/s. took two advise beforehand and didn't hurt too bad. But the bloating afterwards hurt pretty bad for a few days. I also had a uterine biopsy once and it wasn't too bad. Again, I took Advil.

Yeah, everyone's mileage varies on this one. Some have a really tough time. But a success story here for those who could use one. Had my HSG in January after trying for a year. This was at Washington Radiology with Sacks from CFA. Piece of cake. I was nervous, took the day off. Whole thing took maybe 15 minutes, including waiting. Procedure was maybe 5 from walking in the room to walking out. A little uncomfortable for maybe 1 minute, but like a pap smear but a teeny bit more cramping and awkward with having to twist a little to get the dye moving on the screen. It was actually neat to see the dye go through the uterus and see the uterus and tubes. Everything looked good and low and behold got pregnant not that cycle but the next. 19 weeks now and due in November. Good luck everyone.

I think this varies on several things.

I've had 2 HSG's with vastly different experiences. My first was done by a Radiologist at Potomac Hospital. He couldn't get past my cervix, it hurt like all hell, and I bled a great deal. He never actually performed the HSG because he couldn't get the cath inside.

The second was done at Shady Grove. I was scared as you can imagine, given the previous experience, and it was a piece of cake. But then again, the tech knew what she was doing, I didn't have any blockages to push out of the way during the procedure, etc.

FWIW, I did not get pregnant right after, like many apparently do. I went on to have a year's worth of failed treatments and ultimately did IVF.

So YMMV.

Just had mine today and it hurt a little for a second or two, but other than that it was fine. I was super nervous b4 the test and felt a bit silly after. On the scale from 1 to 10 (10 is the most painful ever), I would give it 2 (for 2 seconds only)

didnt hurt at all, just a bit of discomfort. I wouldn't say pain though, and i'm a big wuss! I had two done btw, and neither were bad at all.

OMG....I have had 3 10lb babies naturally, but that HSG was SOOO intense!! The doctor had to stop in the middle of it, because I was holding my breath (because of how bad it hurt). I just wanted to kick him and say "Hurry the heck up!". Both tubes were open, but they found a polyp (more than likely caused from my recent miscarriage). So, not sure if that is why it hurt?!? But, it was done 2 days ago...and I am still bleeding because of it too! Hope everyone else has better luck

Obviously I didn't do my research before mine, because I didn't know it often hurts and didn't know to be worried. I think my OB said it might be uncomfortable, but I'm one of the ladies it really did hurt! And I felt way funky after it for weeks, like I had a low-level infection or something.

But I did also get pregnant on our own right after, and I was 41 then.