Hysteroscopy/biopsy - making it pain-free

Very useful. I wish I had known this before I went for mine. I didn't even realise I was having it done - just a letter asking me to go to Gynae.  I have never experienced pain that extreme before and had to have it under General Anaesthetic in the end...

If I had known I had a choice about pain control I would definitely have gone for a GA as I knew from previous experience that it would be very painful but I needed to know if I had cancer so I put up with the pain, needlessly it appears. As I no longer have a womb that's one experience I thankfully do not have to repeat.

Am so sorry you went through that degree of extreme pain.  The Campaign Against Painful Hysteroscopy is trying to spread the news that patients have a choice of GA/sedation etc.

I am fortunate that my gp, and my consultant are both lovely. The gp included my concerns in her referral and consultant immediately said ga,  in spite of me being overweight so it being slightly risky. I had first two under ga with no questions asked. Third one I saw someone different in clinic and she was trying to persuade me I didn’t need ga. I’d also had a disagreement with the nurse when she wanted me to have an internal scan. She was very rude and she humiliated me when I refused.

My surgeon said she was doing my hysteroscopy under General Anaesthetic,  no discussion of a local, which suited me fine.

I assumed she had her reasons from my scan and her examination,  and I preferred what she was happiest doing. Plus I thought it was likely to be at least very uncomfortable under local.

I did know some are done under local,  so would have asked if I wanted it that way. From what I have read on here about others experiences,  I am glad I had the GA.

I wasn't offered a GA. I was told to take paracetamol and ibrufen an hour before. This is despite the fact that my spine is in a very bad way and I have had sciatica for over 4 years. Interesting . However I must say the pain was tolerable, it was the after care that concerned me. Told to sit in the waiting room and go when I was ready,  I told the nurse I was bleeding profusely and she said it will slow down. I felt feint and sick, by the time I had completed my journey home blood was running down my legs. I think a little more education and training is called for perhaps ? But good that this is being looked at. Thank you

LC 

I was at first offered hysteroscopy by local and then doctor decided as my polyps were high up in uterus, I would be better off having it done by General in day surgery. As a procedure this went fine.  Unfortunately polyp turned out to contsin cancer cells. Talking to nurse in cancer team in Gynae, she told me most women found hysteroscopy by local very painful and they recently decided to fecommend having it done by GA in day surgery where it is likely to impact the cervix.