Last week I was booked in at the hospital to have a Hysteroscopy and I was nervous. Like most, my first reaction was to search Mumsnet for other people’s experiences of this procedure. What I found was many threads and posts saying how horrific it was. Words like a barbaric, agonising, and trauma inducing were shared, with many stating they wouldn’t do it without general anaesthetic. My nerves had now turned to terror. I phoned my best friend for reassurance, only to learn that she herself was booked in next week to have a regular smear test under sedation, due to suffering from anxiety and getting all tensed up. With the knowledge that I was having a Hysteroscopy with only a painkiller an hour before the procedure, I was seriously thinking what the Hell I was signed up for? By now I wanted to cancel my Hysteroscopy. How bad would it be to cancel... surely my gynaecology issues weren’t that serious? I phoned my 84 year old, severely religious friend and shared my fears. After listening to my worries, she asked the following question. If two women have penetrative sex with the same man, would they have exactly the same experience? After I got over my absolute shock that she used the words “penetrative Sex” in a conversation, I answered that no, of course not. One woman could be relaxed/experienced, there's different positions… there are too many entities to compare. Exactly she said, so why do you think other people's experiences of this procedure relates to you? Everybody is different and everyone’s southern region is drastically different to the next? She then went on to say that the worst reviews and forum posts are people who are upset and angry… happy people don’t always bother writing posts.
She was 100% right. I calmed myself and tried to bring logic to a situation where I’d shown none. In the past, I’ve had major surgery which took 8 months recovery time 5 times over, I’ve had 7 rounds of fertility without even blinking, as well as a c-section and this is what I panicked over. I phoned the hospital and asked to be the first in the queue that day to stop myself worrying while waiting to be seen. I decided I was going to ask the gynaecologist the following questions; can you use the smallest speculum as I’ve experienced pain when a big speculum was used. He said he wouldn’t use any speculum if that made me feel better. I asked how often he did this procedure – 5 days a week, I asked if he’d use water or air (water is better) – he said water. I asked, what if he found adhesions - he would bring me back for a spinal (I can’t have GA) and finally I asked if he needed to remove a polyp or when he did a biopsy, would it hurt – he said he’d stop if anything was getting painful and that I was in full control.
5 minutes later I was in theatre trying to relax “down there”. I was waiting for the tugging to start as fertility doctors have struggled to get a catheter in during IVF, one struggled for over an hour. The doctor stepped in front and I felt the first whoosh of water going in which was cold and strangely refreshing. As I looked to the screen waiting for the doctor to insert something, he said, there’s your womb on the screen. WHAT? I didn’t know he’d started. Where was this guy during my IVF struggles. I swear he must have had a GPS system down there as he arrived immediately at the destination and then spent the next 10 minutes looking around (no polyps thank God). Last few minutes, when he was moving to the furthest parts and taking a biopsy, it felt like a sudden period pain but not anything severe. I held my hands on my stomach and it was over in less than a minute. It was a walk in the park compared to a spinal.
When I read some of the posts relating to Hysteroscopy on Mumsnet, some offered little explanation as to the why it was difficult. Was it the speculum that hurt, the method used by the doctor or personal medical issues? I didn’t have any polyps removed so I have no experience of that but what I did have was a Hysteroscopy with a biopsy without ever having a vaginal birth which some have warned against. I should imagine that someone who has had a vaginal birth would have walked my experience of a Hysteroscopy, after all, they’ve already performed the hardest (and most amazing) procedure in the world already.
My reason for posting this is because not everyone is going to have an 84 year old friend to shock some sense into them. Female health is vitally important and I hope that no one will be reduced to my level of stupidity of almost cancelling a medical procedure because they scare themselves online. If you are going for a Hysteroscopy, ask the questions, request to be the first on the list and (the hardest part) try and relax.
Best wishes to anyone that’s booked in for this procedure, now or in the future.