"We women are worth more than that."

I had a hysteroscopy and biopsy at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary last week. I didn't receive any information about it beforehand and was told on the day that it would be like 'period pain' although I expressed the fact I was anxious about the potential for serious pain and wanted to know my options.

I should have been told beforehand that I could opt for a General Anaesthetic or other anaesthesia but wasn't. Instead, I was told I could go away and have the procedure later under GA or I could have a needle in my cervix to deliver a local anaesthetic although this would, of course, be painful too.

I signed the consent form feeling under duress and do not believe that I genuinely gave my informed consent because I had not been properly informed. A nurse then tried to distract me from what was a barbaric and horrendously painful procedure by talking to me throughout, much as a hairdresser would. The two ibuprofen I had taken beforehand didn't even touch the sides.

I felt shocked and violated but, being a woman and brought up to people please, I thanked them all and left. There was no recovery time and no follow-up. I am still in pain a week later. Worse than that, I feel so completely violated that I will never consent to this procedure again and have absolutely no trust in the NHS. 

I believe this Trust needs to urgently address is procedures around hysteroscopy and to understand that forcing women to have one without pain relief or proper information as an outpatient is completely unacceptable as well as in contravention of RCOG guidelines. My belief is that they do it merely to save money. We women are worth more than that.