Womens Gynae is still barbaric

[ellie09]

Recently got referred to a colopscopy for a biopsy after an abnormal smear.

I have had biopsies before, on my skin etc and I assumed there would be local anesthesia of some sort for this one.

But no.

Two biopsies taken from my cervix with no local anesthesia or pain relief provided. It was painful, it was burning and I burst into tears afterwards in the car.

I wasnt expecting to have a screen of my cervix directly beside me, showing the procedure. I wasnt expecting to get up from the chair and blood to be below me on a paper towel on the floor (I thought they would have removed this before I got up)

I like to think I have a really high pain threshold - I have been through birth, tattoos, piercings, kidney stones etc without much complaint, but this seemed to really rile me up.

Not to mention, nothing was explained thereafter, I was taken into a room with wipes and a pad and told I could go home. Thats it.

Went home, took painkillers and cried some more.

Is this really womens health in 2025?

This is exactly my experience 4 weeks ago, but I also had fibroids removed. I threw up, spectacularly at least twice and fainted. I am also no slouch in the pain department, having had 2 births and open heart surgery.
I was dumped on a hard plastic chair (“makes the clean up easier if you bleed through”) in a corridor with nothing else to protect my dignity if I did indeed bleed through. They shut off the lights around me and told me to walk out of there totally unaided. I couldn’t find the lifts so I did 2 flights of stairs by myself before a kind gentleman took my arm and guided me the rest of the way.
I was still throwing up and fainting as I stood waiting to pay for parking, and another kind member of the public went to fetch a nurse who basically stood over me until I came round and then said that I needed to “loose weight” to stop it and marched off.
I have never been so disgusted, but when I complained to PALs I was told it’s my word against theirs and they claimed I had taken myself off and ignored their advice….
I still haven’t stopped bleeding.
Barbaric is the name for it.

Ouch OP. I was offered paracetamol after a c sec 😆🙄told them not to bother- if it were men things would be very different. I hope you feel much better very soon.

@KenAdams I’m so sorry, that’s awful.

Money definitely talks when it comes to care.

This thread has made me sad and angry, and brought back bad memories. One fresh hell I hadn't been expecting was cervical smears post menopause. I have always found smears difficult, but after vaginal atrophy is a whole new level of nasty. I have since found out that topical oestrogen cream really helps, if used for one week before the smear - why the hell aren't we routinely told this?

Make a complaint. I was offered anesthetic for the same procedure, consultant spoke me through what would happen beforehand, was checking in with me during the procedure and spoke to me about next steps after the procedure. Sounds like you have had a bad consultant or bad hospital in general.

The ironic thing is this consultant has a web page for booking privately where he is advocating (apparently) to improve attitudes in womens health and provide a positive experience.

He was very friendly, chatty etc. He didnt explain much as in step by step until I was actually on the chair. After it was done, I got no advice either.

Luckily, I research myself online a lot and realised I would be bleeding a bit, and need to avoid tampons / sex etc for a few days. None of this was explained afterwards to me, which I find a bit baffling.

Just sent back to get changed with some "hand and body wipes" and a maternity pad. I wasn't even told they were there, they were just placed there in the corner.

Dear OP. Gynae in the UK is medieval. Always ask for pain relief.

My issues: due to a post meno bleed in 2022 (2 weeks of 7 pads flood, was terrified) I had a hysteroscopy in 2023. They offered to do it 'right here' awake with no pain relief. The Hell No I said, as I had a. never had kids, b. unbearable pain with IUDs and I was post menopause, so I asked for anaesthesia. I got a spinal block in the end as I was 2 weeks after my 5th lot of covid and even with the epidural I could feel pain from the hysteroscopy so had fentanyl pain relief additionally. They found no cancer and the bleed was because the GP had refused to give me HRT 3 years earlier and my poor little woman parts had got atrophy. I now have been on HRT for 2 years and now have to have this procedure again as the HRT is not quite the right dose and i'm having some spotting. NHS rather than trying to fix the spotting is going straight to another hysteroscopy. I am dreading it.

I had a cervical biopsy done without even being told that’s what they were doing - just all of a sudden the most intense pain I’ve ever felt. It was the single worst experience of my life - barbaric truly is the only word for it.

That was 2016 and I was 23. I hadn’t even had an abnormal test result - just three “inconclusive” results in a row. It took me five years to work up the courage to get another pap smear done and now that I’m pregnant it’s resurfacing because I’m absolutely terrified of having any kind of cervical check done.

I had biopsies taken from my uterus a couple of years ago and it was traumatic from start to finish. I was really totally unprepared for what would happen and how painful it would be, there was no pain relief at all or numbing given. It was a male gynaecologist who was just trying to do his job of course but he used a huge speculum on me initially which was too large and cause a lot of pain as he tried to open it, he then used the smallest one and that was less painful but made it harder for him to operate. He had to use another tool to open my cervix which was also painful and then literally stabbed repeatedly at my uterus to get the biopsies. It did feel like I have been brutalised and assaulted, there were too nurses in the room with me literally holding me down as this happened I did end up crying. They were nice but the Dr was clearly horrified but he did need to do his job and get the biopsies. He didn't really say anything after. The nurses then saw me out of the department and I went home bleeding heavily and in a lot of pain and crawled into bed.

There need to be better care for women getting this kind of procedure done. I find it very difficult to have smears now and after a long delay to getting my last smear I now see a specialist nurse who is amazing and makes it a much easier experience.

This thread is making me nauseous. My god, so many shocking stories. I am so sorry.

Thank god you said this

I went for a coil change (3rd coil) and they couldn't find it

I was forced to wait 42 weeks for an appointment at the hospital

trigger warning

It's in my notes I've been raped and need a bit of extra support and a female doctor

Got there,went through my history,told them I needed extra support and a female doctor and they said that would be fine

Got into the hospital nightgown,was led into the room,told to 'sit there,legs there and lay back'

A bloke walked in,I freaked out,he ignored me,whipped my legs open with his head between my legs (i could feel his breath)a nurse held me down and then the pain started

It honestly felt like he was going at me with a sharp knife

I'm not a wuss at all-ive given birth with no pain relief but this was something else

He stood up,nodded at the nurse and walked out-he didn't say a word to me at any point

I'm shaking,blood everywhere,crying my eyes out and I'm shunted back out into the waiting room to a room full of other women

Told to get dressed and off 'I could pop'

I was that distressed,dp had to leave work and come and get me

I've told him I'm going private next time-I still have nightmares 2 years on

I also had no idea that I could have had an injection-this is the first I've heard of this

That sounds awful. The procedure should have been fully explained at the very least as fear can make you tense up and feel pain in itself. Had one years ago, and loop excision, it was slightly uncomfortable but not painful. But I thought the team took great care and it was different from your experience.

This was always my experience with NHS gynaecology. I just went into every appointment expecting searing pain….and that’s usually what I got.

I’m now in the US, and while US healthcare obviously has its massive faults, my OBGYN has been incredible every time I’ve seen her. I needed a hysteroscopy last year and as soon as she said it, she saw my face and immediately said: “Don’t worry, I usually insist on my patients being under GA for hysteroscopies - why be in pain if you don’t have to be right?”…..and I could have kissed her.
Women’s pain has been disregarded since the beginning of time and it’s disgusting. My current doctor is like a breath of fresh air after 15 years of being treated like I’m imagining the pain.

I had to have a gynae procedure due to spotting. I had gone through the menopause at this point. It was carried out by a female gynecologist but was not at all pleasant nor was the gynecologist who was a bit rough. Not sure the name of the procedure but involved looking at the lining of my womb. Everything was fine. A few years later my gp who was lovely was having difficulty with my smear. Never had problems before so I was referred on to the local hospital. It was again a female gynecologist but she was so lovely and managed the smear OK. Her manner was professional but also lovely and kind. Chalk and cheese from the previous experience.

To all the women reading this- you can ask for a GA and stand your ground until you get it for a hysteroscopy. You must be firm.

I went to my appointment prepared for a fight but the consultant gynaecologist told me that she refuses to do a hysteroscopy without GA as its barbaric and she gave me a little speech about women's health care!

The care I got was second o none when I had it under GA. Real empathy from absolutely every member of staff.

Yes was the same for me, and was actually told if I was unable to tolerate it I could come back and have a general anaesthetic.
I also didn’t return to work that afternoon and my female manager told me her daughter had previously had the same and returned to work, so I should have done the same even though I felt awful 😞

This makes me so mad. I had a colposcopy some years ago and it was horrible. Even put me off smears for years. Well, I have to have another one colposcopy soon and I’m dreading it.

DH, meanwhile, is having another lower endoscopy soon. He was offered anaesthesia or sedation last time, so likely will again. Why? Because it’s a procedure that men have too, and it would be totally unacceptable and regarded as poor treatment if a man were to have pain or discomfort. Womens procedures? Forget it, they’re just fucking animals.

Actually, my dog has had quite a bit of veterinary treatment recently and always given sedation or anaesthesia so actually we’re treated worse than animals.

Absolutely.

It took years for me to be correctly diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.

I was fobbed off and told periods were 'meant to be painful' or that I was basically hysterical/too anxious...

I ended up having to fight for a partial hysterectomy when I was 45 which gave me my life back.

But for that I had to make a formal complaint for to the hospital about my consultant (who wanted to discharge me just to get me out of his list). I was then given a new consultant who agreed that the surgery was the only option after the coil, pill and various medication had failed and I had zero quality of life at that point.

I had many painful exams along the way and also GPs who were clueless when it came to period issues.

I think the general feeling is that women should just shut up and put up with the pain and that they can be lectured about their own bodies...really shameful that we are still having to go through this.

I had a brutal colposcopy myself and remember being horrified at the unkindness and roughness of the person doing it (who wore a cross on their lapel and from whom I got the maybe mistaken impression that I was in the wrong for not being married and needing a colposcopy), and yes, without even a local anaesthetic. The other circumstances were also very similar to yours, @ellie09. Just to add, this was 40 years ago, in 1985, at the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford. You’d have thought things might have improved since then.
Edited because for some reason I keep writing colonoscopy when that is not what I had on that occasion!

A friend who is a recent medicine grad/new doctor said after his gynae placement that he would never want to work in gynae because of the barbaric and cruel methods used. It is systemic misogyny and no other department is as cruel.

Doctors (the now finished BBC tv show) did a campaign on this, it’s a shame it didn’t get more traction.

im so sorry this happened to you. I had a lecture a few weeks back about not being up to date with my smears. The last one was excruciating. I asked the nurse to stop. She didn’t - I get it she was almost there at that point. But still

I really really hope you complained - I know it’s difficult but that person needs a disciplinary action

Thats still not ok. You had withdrawn consent at that point.

They should cease IMMEDIATELY. No ifs, no buts.

I'm so sorry for everyone who has had a bad experience. I don't understand why there isn't a standard protocol for all hospitals to follow. Where I used to work lidocaine was given as standard and gas and air also available if needed, as well as recommending taking pain killers before appointment. I also had a colposcopy there myself and it was ok. I would urge people to contact PALS following a bad experience as addressing patient complaints can genuinely bring change.

@DelboytrottersDnecklace - that is horrific, I am so sorry you had to go through that. Sending you much empathy.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-14696083/I-passed-twice-having-IUD-fitted-BBC-Breakfast-star-Naga-Munchetty-BRYONY-GORDON.html

Naga Munchetty has been campaigning about this for some time too.