30.Hmm, now you see them . . . now you don't . . . and now you're pregnant! – Infertility Niche Business

Several years ago a study on the presence of polyps and infertility was published in the professional journal Human Reproduction. It showed that following removal of the polyps, women got pregnant at about twice the rate of those who did not undergo the removal.

In fact, the study noted, once the polyps were removed many got pregnant without the aid of artificial insemination.

Your doctor may recommend that you get officially diagnosed for the presence of polyps, but that if you have any that they be removed in order to help your chances of conceiving a baby. Your physician has several methods at his disposal to just determining if you have polyps.

The first of these is called a hysterosalpingogram. (Ad now you know why most people just refer to it as a HSG!) In this exam, a radiologist injects a contrast dye into your uterus and fallopian tubes. Then you're given an x-ray. The dye, by the way, makes it easier to detect the presence of any possible polyps.

Another way of determining if you have polyps is through the use of an ultrasound machine. Your health professional will place a wand-like device into your vagina. The wand-like instrument emits high-frequency sound waves and converts them to images. From this the presence of any polyps can be detected.

A specific kind of ultrasound, referred to as a sonohysterogram, may also be used to detect the presence of these growths. In this procedure, a radiologist fills your uterus with saline via a narrow catheter.

Naturally, the saline distends the cavity, much like a balloon is filled with air. This distention helps to make the polyps easier to see. Polyps usually overlooked with a traditional ultrasound procedure can be observed in this manner at times.

If none of those procedures are right for your particular case, your physician may recommend that you undergo a test called a hysteroscopy. This test inserts a scope through your vagina and into the uterus. From here, the operator has a good view of the size as well as the extent of any polyps.

This particular procedure also has the advantage of being used for removal of the growths, too. Either part of an entire polyp may be removed for further microscopic examination simply by inserting instruments through the hysteroscopic tube.

Finally, there's the tried and true, old-fashioned method of review and removal through an excision. In this way, a sample of the polyp may be obtained through the procedure called curettage -- or scraping).

Or, your physician may request a biopsy of the polyp. He would remove a portion of the tissue though an instrument that resembles a drinking straw to determine if it's cancerous.

Viewing the tissue through microscopic means is the only reliable way to determine whether a polyp is benign or cancerous.

Believe it or not, some polyps simply disappear on their own -- without any help at all from modern technology. Again, the medical community has no idea why this occurs.