Oil-Based or Water-Based Contrast for Hysterosalpingography in Infertile Women

In this multicenter, randomized trial involving infertile women undergoing hysterosalpingography, rates of ongoing pregnancy at 6 months and subsequent live births were higher with the use of oil contrast than with the use of water contrast. Infertility, which is defined as the inability to conceive after 1 year of unprotected intercourse, affects approximately one of every six couples who are trying to get pregnant. 1 Hysterosalpingography to assess tubal patency is part of the infertility evaluation in many cases. Although hysterosalpingography was introduced as a diagnostic test, it has been suggested that tubal flushing directly increases pregnancy rates in the months after hysterosalpingography. 2 Many studies have shown a fertility-enhancing effect of hysterosalpingography with the use of oil contrast, 3 but few randomized, controlled trials have assessed this effect. 4 – 6 A meta-analysis of three trials showed higher rates of . . .