PhD conferral Inez Roest

Keywords: subfertility, tubal testing, ethiodized oil, safety

"Safety and efficacy of tubal flushing with ethiodized oil"

On average, one out of every six couples consults a doctor, because they did not get pregnant after trying for at least one year. One of the investigations that can be performed during the fertility workup in subfertile women is tubal patency testing. Previous research has shown that the use of an oil-based liquid (ethiodized oil) during this diagnostic procedure leads to 10% more pregnancies, compared to the use of a water-based liquid. However, the mechanism behind this fertility enhancing effect of ethiodized oil remains unclear after more than 50 years of speculations. This thesis investigated the safety of ethiodized oil during tubal patency testing. Furthermore, it discussed the fertility-enhancing effect of ethiodized oil and its implementation in different methods of tubal testing.