Positive story - hysteroscopy & polyp removal

[Mimi85]

I wanted to post about my positive/ ordinary experience with a hysteroscopy including removal of a polyp. The reason for this post is that I have been consumed by debilitating anxiety in the run up to the procedure due to mumsnet posts saying how painful & horrific their experiences were.
I fully appreciate that everyone has a different experience and before you undertake such an invasive procedure you won't know how you'll find it. I wanted to write about my experience to balance out the negative experiences. There are online petitions and BBC articles describing hysteroscopy as medieval torture that should only be done under anesthesia and some NHS bashing. This was in no way my experience.
The experienced gynocologist told me to try it without a local anesthetic because that would involve a speculum and then the injection... He was right, I couldn't really feel the scope going in, through the cervix and into the uterus. He had a look around and then let me look at the polyp. It was fascinating. I have no idea how the scope removed it but it was over so quickly.
I'm really glad I decided to face my fears, and my gosh were they huge, and try the procedure. I had originally been referred through private health insurance and they had suggested a general because it was their standard procedure. It's been a real rough two weeks of total anxiety & fixation. Do reach out for any questions

My sister also had this done. She was really scared before she went for procedure. She had local anaesthetic and said she couldn't actually feel it. She said she felt overwhelming relief and they removed the polyp with no problem. She said she cried to her DH over the phone afterwards when he was on way to collect her, she was just so relieved it was over.

I had this with no LA. I haven’t had kids so when I relayed this on here that it is not horrific I got called a liar 🤷🏻‍♀️

Same consultant did a woman I knew who has had kids and she found it painful.

I was more worried about a needle in the cervix than an endoscope passing through an opening in the cervix.

My experience of hysteroscopy and polyp removal was like yours, OP. It was completely pain free. I know some women find it excruciating and it's awful that they aren't routinely offered pain relief, but for others it's a simple and easy procedure. My gynaecologist reckoned I'd be fine as I'd had three vaginal deliveries and he was right, for me it was a walk in the park and no worse than a smear test.

Talking of smear tests, years earlier the same gynaecologist checked a large polyp on my cervix that the nurse had spotted during a smear test. With my permission he whipped it off there and then in his clinic without the hint of an anaesthetic. It stung for a moment and I had a little bit of bleeding but I was fine. Maybe I just have a high pain threshold.