"My experience of an hysteroscopy"

About: Queen Elizabeth Hospital / Gynaecology Queen Elizabeth Hospital Gynaecology SE18 4QH

Posted by Mrs Not expecting that (as the patient), 5 years ago

I too experienced the most excruciating pain during this procedure. I can honestly say no amount of pain killers would have dealt with this pain. It was so severe and totally unexpected. The two nurses were lovely and tried to distract me with conversation, however this did not work either. I feel that this procedure should not be carried out without some kind of anaesthetic as the pain is like no other. I have a very high pain threshold and have delivered two children but I have never experience this level of pain/discomfort before. I now understand that the procedure could have been carried out with a local anaesthetic but this was only explained to me afterwards. As I was anxious to find out the results I did not stop the procedure as I needed to know there and then if the consultant could see anything abnormal. Word of warning, if you do have an Hysteroscopy appointment please speak with the consultant/nurse before you attend.
February 2020

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Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Submitted on 20/02/2020 at 10:05

Published on nhs.uk at 10:07

I was really sorry to read of your concerns and comments following your recent hysteroscopy and thank you for raising these. I have prepared a brief response with some information which I hope may be of help.
Hysteroscopy is a procedure which uses a thin tube-like telescope to see inside the womb (uterus). It can also allow doctors to do some minor operations to the uterus and take biopsies.
Hysteroscopy is usually done in the outpatient department with no anaesthetic Hysteroscopy can also be done under general or with local anaesthetic. If you have a local anaesthetic you will be awake. If you have a general anaesthetic you will be asleep. Some women will not have either a general or a local anaesthetic. There are pros and cons to each of the approaches.
Not having a general anaesthetic means you should be able to get back to your usual activities quickly. Some women may find having the procedure without anaesthetic may make them feel anxious and stressed. You may have cramping during and after the procedure. Women can talk to their doctor beforehand to discuss the options.
You may feel something like period cramps at some stages of the procedure. A lot of women feel no discomfort, or only minimal discomfort. For other women it is very painful and the procedure has to be stopped. In this case you can come back on a different day and have a general anaesthetic
Where a biopsy is taken during this part of the procedure can cause a crampy period type pain, which generally settles once the biopsy has been taken. The whole process should only take a few minutes.
The biopsy is usually well tolerated by most women however some people do find it too uncomfortable and have to have the biopsy taken under local or general anaesthetic at another time
I note your kind comments regarding the nurses who supported the procedure and thank you for this. Without knowing the details of your individual situation I am unable to comment further however if you would find it helpful to contact me direct I would be happy for you to contact me direct. My email is norma.black2@nhs.net
Kind regards
Norma Black
Head of Nursing
Gynaecology, Sexual Health and HIV

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