I had a hysteroscopy 2-3 weeks ago. Everyone is very different and some people find this procedure very painful. The nurse who carried it out was lovely and told me I was in charge throughout and if it was painful at all they would stop and rearrange for it to be carried out under a general anaesthetic. Luckily she was very skilled and the whole procedure was fairly painless. I have to have a follow up to have some polyps removed as there were too many to deal with on this occasion. I think they try hysteroscopies as an outpatient procedure with minimal pain relief as many people are able to tolerate it and things like general anaesthetics carry their own risks. Before the procedure I had been extremely anxious as the gynaecologist had tried to take a biopsy the week before which had been agony and unsuccessful. I guess the only advice I have is to try and relax, listen to your own body and if it is painful stop and rebook it under a general anaesthetic. Everyone is different and some people have scarring, different position to their uterus, and countless other reasons which may increase the pain for this type of procedure. I have realised the use of a speculum is what causes me pain and it was not needed on this occasion which is probably why I was ok but we are all different. I know how anxious the wait is for these types of things and how scary it can be reading things on the internet so sending you best wishes.
first they will chat to you, take a case history and try to put you at ease.
They will give you a gown so that you can remove your bottom half.
Once you are settled in the right position they will insert the device which is a thin camera and something which they can take biopsies with. I was chatting to the nurse at this point and hadn't even realised it was inside me. For me it was much less painful than a smear because they did not have to use a speculum. They put a saline solution into your womb so that they can get an good picture. They will take a few biopsies and then it is over. If you like you can watch the whole thing on the screen with the nurse. for some it is too painful and for various reasons they are not able to insert the device. If this is the case they opt to do it on a different occasion under a general anaesthetic. If you need to have it done this way it's ok. A friend of mine had too much scarring and had to have a general anaesthetic. It was ok. Like I said before we are all different.
Thank you so much for your answers, it really has put my mind at rest.
When I was told that I needed a hysteroscopy, I wasn't overly worried, however I needed to have a smear done, the following week. Now normally I have absolutely no problems with these being done (they aren't pleasant) and they can be painful, but it's over and done with quickly. This time was completely different!! The nurse couldn't find the entrance to my cervix and ended up needing to get someone else to help!! Then I got my letter for my hysteroscopy appointment and I think my mind went into overdrive!! So I think I will go with the flow to the appointment and if they can manage to navigate through, at least I won't have to wait longer for the test results..........
