Novasure endometrial ablation - defective procedure?

[Wynturphelle]

I had Novasure endometrial ablation in outpatient clinic 10 days ago. There was no GA just some cervical anaesthesia, mefanamic acid and buscopan. I had taken paracetamol as instructed 2 hours prior to the appointment. The pain was horrendous. It was nothing short of barbaric and the doctor ceased the procedure after 80 of the intended 90 seconds duration. I had codeine post-procedure and was told to expect 30-40 min of cramping.

Within an hour I literally could not think, eat or drink because of the pain. Ended up with emergency prescription from GP for morphine. No post-procedure pain since but I can't understand why I had such a horrific experience? I have had two hysteroscopy procedures and two mirena coil insertions with no side effects or downtime whatsoever. I have seen YouTube videos of women undergoing the same procedure without flinching. Could the Novasure have gone wrong? Did I have full and usual anaesthesia or was something missed? I am feeling very misled by the doctors that recommended this and very let down by what happened on the day.

I'm forever shocked by the amount of pain women are expected to put up with because it's GYN related procedure. Men would never be expected to have part of the reproductive anatomy burned off or biopsied or explored with no anaesthetic and told to take a couple a paracetamol. FFS.

I agree totally with @ChewbaccaHutchinsCool
That is truly awful you had to go through that, and completely disgusting they assumed it would be a painless procedure. I had a hysteroscopy performed during a routine gynae appt and was assured it would be quick and totally, with some very mild discomfort. No local anaesthetic or painkillers offered. The doctor (female) had to 'clamp' my cervix during some protracted digging about to get the biopsy and it was bloody awful. I had cervical pain in the exact same spot where I'd been clamped for months and months afterwards.

I hope you're ok @Wynturphelle. If you feel up to it, I really would complain and take your complaint as far as possible. 💐

I'm pain-free now thank you EllenR and just waiting to see if it has made a difference to my heavy periods. I have contacted PALS and requested my notes. I haven't made a complaint yet as I want to see my notes first. However, I did highlight to PALS how I agree with Chewbacca. Though I also feel rather cynically that there may be a cost-saving aspect, at the detriment of women's health and mental wellbeing, to not doing a GA day procedure.

I pointedly asked mine to be done under a GA and thankfully was was accommodated (by the female surgeon) without argument. I'm always shocked and angry when ever I read other people's experiences. It does smack of cost saving alongside the attitude towards gynae issues in general, ie: we should just put up with it, there 'may' be 'discomfort". What they mean is bloody agony for some women but hey, they can just be collateral damage as long as there's money to be saved.

I'm glad you've recovered! And I do hope it helps.
Please let us know any outcome if you do decide to take it further. In a strange quirk of fate(?), I was at my 6 monthly gynae check today (have had ovarian cysts on and off) and consultant decides it's time I had another hysteroscopy (because I'm menopausal, not because he saw anything in the scan). I stupidly agreed (why??!) just to get it over with and explained my first experience with the procedure so he assured me we could stop at any time. Ten minutes into it, I get offered a local anaesthetic (which wasn't to hand so I had to wait another 5 minutes while they found some), then another ten minutes of poking about until he declared he couldn't get through my cervix (it obviously refused to cooperate). Lots of blood, obviously coming from trauma to my cervix and not my uterus. So now I have to get it done under anaesthetic.

I'm now of the opinion this type of thing should ONLY be done under anaesthetic (though I know some women can handle it fine without). There's a reason your cervix doesn't open and close on demand, but lets poke and prod away at it anyway, until the patient is in pain and bleeding, with her legs splayed? There's no doubt that if evolution had reversed the roles, they'd find a better, painless and more dignified way of doing this type of thing.

Sorry for TMI rant, I'm just sore and 😡

Sorry to hear about your experience EllenR. Hope you recovery swiftly. I shall definitely update when I have decided on a way forward. I'm a midwife and have advocated for women going under these types of procedures during my training. On one occasion I remember giving the consultant a rather loud 'STOP NOW' for a a women undergoing a traumatic gynae procedure. The procedure was halted and we went to GA. In part, I'm just so cross that I couldn't speak up for myself

Good grief 😯 It's really something that needs to be addressed. Honestly, don't be cross with yourself. I think we're conditioned to give up control to the medical experts, especially when we're literally in a vulnerable position. X

I had to do STOP NOW when my gynaecologist tried to do a biopsy prior to a hysteroscopy. That’s today so I’m looking for tips.