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Original poster

Hysteroscopy - General or Local Anaesthetic?

96 replies

RuzGen · 14/03/2025 17:42

I had a consultant appointment today for thickened womb lining and a possible cyst or polyp.

Was told I need a hysteroscopy which I'm really quite nervous about.

I'm autistic so possibly more anxious than I should be about it but it's really playing on my mind

I've been offered the option of local or general so wanted to get people's thoughts and experiences.

Currently booked in for general so that they are prepped for either scenario and I can decide later on what to go for (if they booked me for local they wouldn't be prepped for general if I changed my mind on the day)

Consultant said it can cause some "mild discomfort" under local but I've learnt from experience that they tend to under estimate pain.

I'm also quite worried that whatever is going on might have got worse as I've waited a year for this consultant appointment

Any advice or thoughts welcome

Thanks all

OP posts:
BeeCucumber · 15/03/2025 13:18

“Mild discomfort” - such lies we are expected to believe.

spicemaiden · 15/03/2025 13:23

I’m amazed you’ve been offered. I was refused any kind of pain relief except OTC - I refused to be a Guinea pig. It was treatment I needed too

Chewbecca · 15/03/2025 13:38

Fine to work the next day.

WartOrNot · 15/03/2025 13:45

RuzGen · 15/03/2025 13:08

For those who've had it done, were you able to return to work the next day or did you need longer off?

I can work from home so wouldn't have to travel anywhere

I took 3 days off. I could probably have gone back on the 3rd day, but did not know that until the third day. I could probably have WFH in the second day, had my job been one that can be done from home, and had it been the sort that allowed me to timetable my day, as I was taking 4h naps in the middle of the day!

Londontown12 · 15/03/2025 13:47

PacificState · 14/03/2025 22:10

Just adding to the data set: two vaginal births, never had any pain with gynae exams (transvaginal ultrasound/smears), had hysteroscopy with biopsy and polyp removal and literally didn’t feel a thing. I was a bit anxious about it because I’d read it could be nasty, but it was 100% pain free for me.

But, as others have said, if you haven’t had a vaginal birth or have a history of finding gynae exams painful, I’d go for general or spinal all the way. There are no rosettes for not having anaesthetic!

Same here I must just have a very high pain threshold!
Just found it mildly uncomfortable had polyp removal as well !
Like poster says thou if u have option go for general that why u wont feel a thing x

WearyAuldWumman · 15/03/2025 14:02

RuzGen · 15/03/2025 13:08

For those who've had it done, were you able to return to work the next day or did you need longer off?

I can work from home so wouldn't have to travel anywhere

I went to my exercise the same evening, but did take it easy...I was worried about the Mirena landing on the gym floor!

PeggyMitchellsCameo · 15/03/2025 15:03

I was off for a fortnight, I’m afraid.

AlisonDonut · 15/03/2025 15:10

RuzGen · 15/03/2025 13:08

For those who've had it done, were you able to return to work the next day or did you need longer off?

I can work from home so wouldn't have to travel anywhere

I worked from home at the time and mine was on a Friday morning, I was in bed for the rest of the Friday and the Saturday and in my pj's for the Sunday and then back at work on the Monday but felt rough for the full week.

MaryGreenhill · 15/03/2025 15:11

General every time OP . Good luck .

MaryGreenhill · 15/03/2025 15:12

Needed a week off but l was a nurse .

ChinaChina · 15/03/2025 15:14

I have had 5 under GA, I always feel back to normal by the next day but I don’t work. If I did I think I would have needed around two days off especially if you drive to work.

Mydoglovescheese · 15/03/2025 15:32

Go with general. I I’ve had both and experienced a lot of pain with sedation.

I’ve come to think that if there’s an option for a general anaesthetic there’s a good reason for it

Movinghouseatlast · 15/03/2025 15:36

Yes, I worked from home the next day. I wouldn't have wanted to drive or do anything madly physical but my brain was normal!

Motherhubbardscupboard · 15/03/2025 16:03

In hindsight I could have worked from home the following day (after a GA) but didn't. Physically I could probably have worked from home on the same day for the one without the GA, but I was a bit shocked! (And I had given birth twice without pain relief.....)

SirChenjins · 15/03/2025 17:11

RuzGen · 15/03/2025 13:08

For those who've had it done, were you able to return to work the next day or did you need longer off?

I can work from home so wouldn't have to travel anywhere

I was fine by the next day and just worked from home.

JustWalkingTheDogs · 15/03/2025 17:13

TheDevilWearPrimarni · 14/03/2025 19:09

It’s bad that you have had to waited a year. Have you had any unusual bleeding?
I had post menopausal bleeding and was seen under the 2WW. I had an ultrasound and because my lining was borderline at 4mm I had the hysteroscopy straight after. I had taken ibuprofen before the appointment as advised and I found the procedure uncomfortable because of the pressure, but not painful. I had cramps for a couple of hours after and a little bleeding. This was 3 weeks ago.
The doctors don’t know who will f8nd it painful and who won’t so it can be tricky.
Fortunately they found nothing wrong and it’s likely caused by the HRT I’m taking, so I was discharged.

This was my experience too, not plesant and uncomfortable but not what I’d class as painful

jackstini · 15/03/2025 17:35

Not a chance I would have been able to return to work the next day

I was told to take OTC painkillers and it would be like period pain. I spoke to them beforehand as I was worried I had never given birth vaginally, had 2 sections as unable to dilate & cervix faces backwards

it was the worst pain I have ever experienced. Shaking, crying, unable to speak. They did a local part way through but it didn’t touch the sides. Nurses tried to help me breathe through it but I felt every second of them taking the biopsy - it was fucking barbaric

when they had finished I couldn’t move for quite a while. Eventually stood and felt blood pouring out of me - wish I hadn’t looked down. I was very wobbly and they made me sit and have tea and biscuits for 20 mins. DH was panicking as I had been in there about 90 mins. The state of me when I came out - he thought I’d been told I’d got cancer

I went straight to bed when I got home and got through the next 3 days with a combination of wine, naproxen (I know…) and binge watching crap

I am still not over it and it was 14 months ago. Made worse by the fact wrong prescription was the reason I had to have it 🤬

Do whatever you need to to make it ok for you

AnnaQuayInTheUk · 15/03/2025 18:01

I've had two. Both with local anaesthetic. Uncomfortable/ slightly painful but in both cases I was back at my desk two hours later.

I think it's a really tricky one as you don't know how painful you're going to find it until you have it. I ended up having a fibroid removal and that was under GA. It took me 5 days to get over the GA, I'm so glad I didn't have a GA for the hysteroscopies.

I read a statistic somewhere that said 2/3 women are fine with having a hysteroscopy with just local anaesthetic but 1/3 find it too painful.

I'd start with it under LA but be prepared to have a GA if it's too painful.

outofofficeon · 15/03/2025 18:39

I had one with no option of a LA or GA. It was horrific. They went through the wall of my uterus too by accident. It was a horrible experience and I swore that was the end of being poked and prodded.

They also wanted to have a young African man trainee do my trans vaginal scan first. I was so shocked it wasn’t a woman I said no.

I felt so let down by the whole experience. It was very very painful and I’m good with pain.

YouOKHun · 15/03/2025 22:04

I had one after post menopausal bleeding. From what I understand for the majority it’s manageable with pain relief but some women have certain differences in the position of their cervix which can make things like having a coil fitted and Hysteroscopy extra painful. I can’t remember where I read that to vouch for the source. I knew from previous attempts to fit a Mirena that I was not going to tolerate it. When I was looking at the research I read that in my trust the procedure has a 30% failure rate which is I’m sure abandoned procedures because of pain. That may be a minority but it’s an awful lot of women who find it intolerable.

I also understood that it can be more painful for post menopausal women and that having given birth before makes no difference to the level of pain during Hysteroscopy (I’ve had four children). Not one of my medic female friends would go without a GA. For all these reasons I had a GA and I’m glad I did even though I know that there are risks to GA and potentially a longer recovery I knew I wouldn’t cope without it.

I know these things are individual and no doctor can predict how someone will manage but I am disappointed about how easily dismissed female pain seems to be.

ChinaChina · 16/03/2025 02:45

I’ve had 3 DC completely naturally without any pain relief but for some reason freak out when I have smear tests to I chose GA each time.

MsNevermore · 16/03/2025 02:49

Personally, if General is offered for any gynae procedure, I take it.
I had a hysteroscopy in December and my OBGYN straight up told me that in her professional opinion, she’d recommend going under General for it.

Motherhubbardscupboard · 16/03/2025 08:08

I commented earlier but had actually forgotten that I had my first two at different NHS Trusts about 18 months apart. The gynaecologist at the second Trust was horrified I hadn't been offered a GA for the first one.

ImRonBurgandy · 16/03/2025 08:42

I've written about this on here before, but when I needed one I requested a GA due to past trauma. The consultant (a woman) was very sniffy and essentially refused and said I needed to try without first. So I just didn't get it done.
When I went to the GP about a year later she asked why I hadn't gone ahead and I told her. She was shocked and said I absolutely could have it under GA. She re-referred me and I got it done under GA. However I then had a battle on the day as they wanted to fit a mirena during the procedure as 'it would be easier'. When I said I didn't want a mirena at all the consultant again was very dismissive. I really had to stress I did not consent to it. I checked multiple times that it wasn't going to be done, and then checked afterwards that they hadn't done it. Just awful.

WartOrNot · 16/03/2025 13:55

I had a birth injury that did not heal. After many attempts at treating it in clinic, my (lovely, female) gynae said I needed a full repair under GA. I went to my NCT PN group between the surgery and the follow-up appointment, and discovered that I was the only one who had had this procedure under GA. The other 2-3 women had had locals or spinals. At my follow-up appointment I asked my gynae why she had said GA, not given me any choice. Her reply:

"I would not put any woman through that."

Had I asked to remain awake, she would have discussed it with me and respected my choice. But her default position was that this sort of surgery was intrinsically distressing to her patients', and that their emotional well-being was important.

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