"Hysteroscopy ordeal"

I had a hysteroscopy to see why I had such heavy and painful periods. I was well looked after, however it wasn’t made clear to me that this might be as disturbing an experience as I found it! Two nurses were with me, talking away, to distract me, I suppose. One of them had to hold me down though as I tried to tell them through gritted teeth, ‘I.. can’t.. take.. this.. any… more..!’. I was in shock coming out of there. It was an extreme pressured feeling - a traumatic and barbaric experience for me. I couldn’t believe I hadn’t been sedated. I don’t remember being offered anything, or warned about this before I went in. I took a couple of pain killers as advised, and that was it. I could see on the nurses faces that they knew what I was in for, and another nurse did come out to see me in the waiting room and ask if I was ok. She looked concerned and I burst into tears. I was shaking with shock.

I now live in Portugal, and on having my mirena check up, we got talking about my hysteroscopy experience. The gynocologist said that here in Portugal, women are always sedated for an hysteroscopy and suggested reasons why the NHS don't always do it. It has always bothered me that other women are going in for the same treatment and may have a similar or worse experience. I would like to see a change in the system so that everyone is sedated. There’s just no way of knowing if you can take the pain or not before you go in, in my experience, and it is not worth taking the risk.