I have been suffering with many confusing gynecological symptoms which have got worse this last 18 months. I cannot seem to find answers any where. After years of scans and appointments, an MRI & then an ultrasound found a suspected polyp ( maybe a second) back in March this year.
I have now got a letter for a hysteroscopy on 18th August, and to say I am scared is an understatement.
I suffer with pelvic pain, and I am worried that this procedure will be painful and/or make my pain worse. Does anyone have any experience of this and what was the recovery and bleeding like after the procedure please?
I am a single Mum with three children and I work part time, five days a week, and so I am really worried about pain and recovery.
TIA
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Bravesoulx
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Is it under general or local? I have had about 6 hysteroscopies over the years and found them very straight forward, pretty painless and have been up and about by the afternoon x
The procedure under local anaesthetic to cervix was a bit uncomfortable and mine took a while due to scarring in my womb from an earlier Novosure treatment for heavy bleeding. I needed rest that evening and the next day
Thank you for replying 😊 The more we talk about these things, the more reassured or informed we can be. Hopefully I should be back on my feet the next day 🤞🏻
Hi I work in clinics where they do that procedure. Don't be scared. They use saline water to Dibden the womb and use something called a liteopticscope. The water can give you period type pains. The scope has to get through the cervix which can be a little painful our consultants give local anesthetic. But the whole procedure should only take about 5 minutes. It depends on how you are. If you can't cope then you should tell them. However just see how it goes. But please don't worry. They should have staff in there to talk to you. Good luck 😁
Hi, thank you for replying 😊 I already suffer with pelvic pain do I worry that this will make it worse.
I think I am best to tell them to stop if it becomes to much, but I know that if I can just bear with it, then it is for the best as it needs doing 😬🤞🏻 (Thank you for the good luck 😊)
I have had several hysteroscopies and never had any anaesthetic in any form and never experienced pain at all. I had quite a few polyps removed and no distress at all.
I had mine done under general. My gynae discovered a polyp when doing the hysteroscopy that had been missed in previous ultrasounds.
I was tired after mine for a few days - would really recommend getting help from a friend / from family for the next couple of day with your kids just in case you feel to need it - but that might have been the anaesthetic in any case.
Also - I had mine done privately. Sometimes the private sector does things less efficiently than the NHS, so it may be that it’s not necessary to do them under general. And - ask for as much pain medication as they are willing to give you if under local. Medical procedure pain is traumatising and you don’t need to carry that on top of the existing trauma of your pelvic pain.
Thank you Geogeor,Nothing has been particularly ruled out or in, it has been a nightmare especially with the backlog on the NHS.
My main symptoms are:
A deep random pain that would come & go next to my left hip from the age of 17.
An ectopic pregnancy & miscarriages
Sometimes bleeding inbetween periods - this has resulted in a 2 week long period at times
Pelivic, hip,back & leg pain in my left side, which is worse around my period
UTI symptoms on and off - but when tested no UTI
IBS symptoms which are new
Frequent yeast infections/symptoms which come and go
The list is endless 🙈
I had an MRI without the contrast due, ordered by a routine gynocologist. Who said no signs of endometriosis but could see what looked like a polyp. I had a followup ultrasound scan and the radiologist confirmed it looks like a polyp & suggested have I thought about endometriosis. When I told her about the MRI & what the gynocologist had said - she replied but an MRI doesn't always pick it up 🤦♀️
So now I'm having the hysteroscopy for the polyp which they are saying is the unlikely cause of my pain and I am at a loss with it all 🙁
I am sorry to hear it - you are going through a lot.
What is the type of test your radiologist says definitively shows / rules out endometriosis? Do they think a hysteroscopy will? Or not.
Have you been put on a several weeks’ course of the anti-yeast infection treatment for that symptom? Since they keep recurring. Fluconazole x 6 - 8 weeks is I think the recommended course when it recurs. I am NOT a doctor!
Another thing is to call a Sexual Health clinic - you don’t need to do this via your GP, you can just call them - to rule out any of those types of diseases. They don’t look into endometriosis and it may be that your gynae has already ruled out the various sexually transmitted diseases. I think they cd test for the kind of yeast infection you have.
How are your iron / B12 / Vitamin D / folate levels?
Has anyone looked at whether you get constipation? The lower right pain is part of why I ask. And the association with time of period - hormone levels changing can do this. I don’t know what your IBS symptoms are but sometimes even diaorrhea can be a symptom of constipation. And constipation can also be a symptom of something else not being right. Have you also been asked to provide a stool sample to be tested for E Coli / C Diff / anything else that could also seem like IBS / blood in the stool? Or how else did they arrive at the IBS diagnosis?
Have you ever tried taking evening primrose or even better starflower supplements, to regulate your symptoms pre/during/post period? (Assuming you don’t have endometriosis).
Have you had a recent smear test?
And when you have a hysteroscopy, will they be doing a biopsy of the cells of your womb?
The hysteroscopy is just for the polyp. A laparoscopic surgery would be for endometriosis, but from what I have read this is best done under a gynocologist that specialises in endometriosis, goodness knows how I am going to be referred to one?!
I was on fluconazole once a week for 6 months last year and 🤞🏻 I dont have a yeast infection currently, just the occasional symptom that comes and goes.
I have been single gor 4 & a half years, I have been tested for STIs in the past all was negative.
I also had bloods done last year, all fine apart from high in one thing (I cant remember what it was), and they told me to stop taking my multi-vitamin?!
I havent been tested for C Diff etc. and no diagnosis of IBS, I just have IBS symptoms which could be a symptom of so many other things.
I tried evening primrose and star flower oil when I was younger this did nothing for me.
I am due a smear spring next year, they did mention that they can do one the same day as the hysteroscopy, so I may need to remind them....
It is ok that you have asked the questions as I know you are trying to help and I hope it may help someone else 😊
As you can see it is so complex and that is why I didn't list them in my initial post 😂 x
A new tendency towards infections can be seen in women going into peri menopause. I think it relates to oestrogen spikes.
You can ask your gynae if they can measure your hormone levels. My own GP suggested they test this, but I know lots of doctors don’t - they say words to the effect of these levels fluctuate throughout your cycle. Which is true, but you can still tell some things from it.
Nonetheless, they may agree to test. And if they don’t, perhaps you can ask them / the gynae how else they can rule in / out higher than normal oestrogen levels being the problem / cause.
Perimenopause - I don’t know your age / family history - would lead to changing period duration / frequency and the spikes in hormones which can lead to yeast infections, among other things.
These are all investigative avenues that you may have already taken.
Gynaecology is quite a broad church. Maybe not the right analogy. Or it’s a set of detective story where the detective slacks off at lunchtime and leaves the crime victim to solve the crime themselves. Or something between them.
I am 36, and my Mum who is 55 is currently going through the menopause, I really doubt it is that, but I can see what you mean about the fluctuation in hormones etc.
Alot of gynocological issues can be Estrogen driven. It is just so hard to get people to listen, it is almost like it is too much hard work for even the gynocologist to investigate and they dont want to know 🙈 Meanwhile months go by for the simplest of things to be done because of waiting lists and people's symptoms are getting worse 🙁
I don’t know to what extent menopause ages are inherited. But yes I agree - unlikely.
I wrote a very long list of tests etc and waiting lists are a nightmare and shambles so in the interim some of the DIY things you can do:
- contact a sexual health clinic. Some of these offer a walk-in service. They will be able to prescribe the repeat course of yeast infection meds / tell you what else to take for it.
- smear test, if you haven’t had in last 3 years
- check whether you will have a biopsy done when you have a hysteroscopy done
- start taking starflower capsules. These are well-evidenced (this advice is from a top Harley street surgeon, which am passing on) to balance out period symptoms over the month.
Are you on the pill or coil? If you are, could you have a break from that? If you don’t have a coil, am surprised the GP hasn’t yet suggested you have one. Wherever HB levels reduce, they seem to the GP’s first point of call.
Hi 😊Just thought I would put an update on here, just in case it helps anyone.
I had the hysteroscopy done today, and they removed one polyp and took an endometrial biopsy.
They only pain relief I had was co-codamol , which I took 1 & a half hours prior. I didnt have any general or local anesthetic.
Overall the procedure was quick and not as scary as I thought it would be. I felt some pain when they took the biopsy but it didn't last long and wasn't anything that I couldn't tolerate.
I am glad that I have now gone through with this & got it out of the way. I wouldn't be as worried now if I ever had to have one done again.
Hi there, just wanted to thank you so much for writing this update as I am due a hysteroscopy to remove a polyp in a few weeks time, and I've been very worried, so thought I'd look on here to see how others found it. So reassuring to hear that it wasn't too bad for you, and you coped with the pain. I really hate smear tests etc, so have really been dreading this procedure. But feel more confident reading your update, especially as you said it didn't take too long. Just to check, could you drive yourself home? Thanks so much again and best of luck with everything.
My Mum was there to drive me home just in case, but i felt that i could have driven home.
I had no pain at all when they dilated me and went in with the camera (having given birth previously i believe helps with the dilation and being pre-menopausal), I watched it all on screen.
As I said I did have some pain for around 8 seconds when they took the biopsy, I just beared with it and it was quickly over.
I know this procedure is different for everyone and past history, age and past pregnancies i i believe can make a difference. Asking the gynocologist if she would stop immediately if i asked her to do so helped me also go ahead with it.
I hope that this helps you a bit as i know how much i was worrying and Im glad that it is over and one less thing to think about now. Good Luck to you and I am sure it will all be OK 😊
Thanks so much for your message. And for the information. So useful. And really grateful. Both my kids were C-sections as they were breech babies, and the gynae did say that might make it a little more uncomfortable. But I'll give it a go, and like you say, I'll ask her to stop if it is unbearable. The gynae mentioned a local anaesthetic in the cervix. I stupidly didn't ask much about that, as I was nervous talking to her, but hopefully that'll help, especially as you managed it with no anaesthetic. Wish I could just get it over with tomorrow, but it's still a few weeks away. The waiting feels like the worst bit. Not to worry. I'm sure it'll be okay and over quickly. Fingers crossed. Thanks again for all your kind words and support and advice. Really lovely of you. All the best to you.
The thoughts and waiting for things to be done can be worse than the actual events in life. I do think it is unfair that as women we do seem to often get a rough deal when it comes to our health. We will all get through these things, one step at a time.
I wish you the best of luck, and this time next month it will be done and out of the way. Please remember to be kind to yourself 😊 x
I’ve had a few hysteroscomys the last one discovered many polyps which caused me to bleed heavily - I had these procedures without anaesthetic- I did not find these procedures painful just some discomfort. I found cervical smears the most painful in comparison. Slight discharge after but no bleeding and a little discomfort.
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All the best to you. 
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