Adiana again

Last week I had an appointment for the final test of the Adiana procedure, the hysterosalpingogram. HSG is a fertility testing technique that involves the injection of a special dye into the uterus through the cervical opening. The progression of the dye is then monitored via x-ray. It shows whether the tubes are completely closed or not.

It was done by another gynaecologist. She was very friendly and did her best, but man oh man... it was SO painful! I know I have a low pain barrier, but still... Everything she did hurt, and hurt badly! Ron later said she was very young and seemed a bit insecure and clumsy when she didn't get it right in one try. I can handle pain impulses, but it just didn't stop hurting. I couldn't relax locally as I did with the Adiana procedure itself.  I could watch the screens and follow the dye. I cannot describe how I felt when I clearly saw one tube wasn't closed completely.... Oh NO! What a disappointment...

Afterwards I felt shaky and when the gynaecologist and nurse left I burst into tears. I was in pain and lost quite a lot of blood. The doctor had said that was normal, so I wasn't alarmed and in the days after it slowly got less and eventually disappeared.

Today I spoke with my own gynaecologist. He told me only a very small percentage of tubes wasn't closed completely after 6 months. Of course I belong to that minority, just my luck... :-( We agreed to do another internal ultrasound scan next week, just to be sure the inserts are still in place. Then in 3 months we have to repeat the HSG. Unfortunately there is no other way to indisputably prove the closing of the tubes. He promised me he'll do it himself and in a slightly different way. Not completely painless, but hopefully a bit more bearable. With something to relax and pain medication beforehand I think I'll manage, but I'm not looking forward to it!

UPDATE Oct. 17: Just got back from the ultrasound. The inserts are still in place. One is slightly further into my tube, what might be why it isn't completely closed yet. The new HSG will be done in January.

Adiana progress update

Do you see the two white spots left and right of center? We have twins! *lol* Hahaha, no... Those are the Adiana inserts. Last Thursday I had an appointment to check the progress. I got an internal ultrasound scan and a talk with the gynaecologist. Everything is okay, it's going as planned. I've made an appointment in October for the  final HSG-test.

Done!

This afternoon the Adiana procedure was done. I wasn't really nervous. The gynaecologist was very nice and his assistants too. We chatted about our upcoming vacation and in the meantime we could watch everything on a tv screen next to me. The doctor explained what he was doing. It didn't hurt, but sometimes it felt awkward and strange. He informed me when the feeling could be worse. The moment of releasing the insert was uncomfortable. It made me feel dizzy and nauseous. Luckily this doctor gives a shot of atropine before the procedure, otherwise I would have fainted. The feeling disappeared when the delivery catheter was taken out. The whole thing lasted 15 minutes maximum! Right now it feel okay, quite normal actually. It can hurt like a normal period at best. In 5 weeks I'll get a consult and an ultrasound scan for control. After 3 months a test will be done to confirm that my tubes are completely blocked.

At first Ron and I planned to have kids some day, but then my depressions and eating disorders got in the way. I couldn't take care of myself, let alone take care of a baby. When those problems were more or less behind me, the chronic fatigue became the next spoil-sport. Now, 10 years later, the fatigue is still there. We don't want to put a child in this situation, doesn't feel fair to the little one. Plus meanwhile I'm almost 43. It's for the best, it wasn't meant to be. Regrets? Not really... I guess over the years we got used to the idea of having no kids. We enjoy the freedom and are at peace with it.

Adiana procedure

I'm still trying to get off as much medication as possible. Last year we talked about birth control. I'm still using a contraceptive pill. The hormones in it have influence on my body and the other medication, so I'd like to stop taking them.
The best option is sterilization and the easiest way would be for Ron to do it. But that never felt good for me. If anything happens to me, he can still have kids for the rest of his life while my biological clock has almost run out. Of course we don't presume anything happening, but the consideration stands nevertheless. On the other hand sterilisation for me meant surgery, not very appealing either.

In a women's magazine I read something about the Adiana procedure, a safe and minimally invasive procedure for permanent contraception. I made an appointment with a gynaecologist that specializes in Adiana and Essure (another, similar method). He advised me to stop with the pill for some months to see whether my menstrual bleeding pattern would return and be regular. That turned out to be the case, so the appointment could be made for the procedure. Unfortunately that had to be rescheduled several times, but tomorrow afternoon it will be done.

There are four simple steps to the Adiana procedure:

Step 1: A slender, flexible instrument (delivery catheter) is passed through the body's natural openings (i.e., through the vagina and cervix and into the uterus) to deliver a low level of radiofrequency energy (i.e., energy that generates heat to create a superficial lesion) to a small section of each fallopian tube.

Step 2: A tiny, soft insert - about the size of a grain of rice - is placed in each of your fallopian tubes, right where the energy was applied.

Step 3: You must use another form of birth control over the next 3 months, while new tissue grows in and around the Adiana inserts, eventually blocking your fallopian tubes.

Step 4: At 3 months, a special test is performed (hysterosalpingogram or HSG) to confirm that your tubes are fully blocked. This test will ensure that the procedure has been successful.

Or you can watch an animation of the procedure here.

All text, images and the animation are property of Adiana / Hologic Inc.