The procedure that leaves women traumatized, in agony and no longer wanting to have sex
THE HELLISH PROCEDURE…
There is a stark warning about outpatient hysteroscopies, a procedure that has left some women, like 58-year-old GP Maria Waters deeply traumatized. Waters underwent the procedure last summer to investigate abnormal bleeding, expecting mild discomfort akin to a smear test, as she had advised her own patients. Instead, she endured what she describes as “barbaric” pain, with no prior warning of its potential intensity, leaving her shocked and questioning the medical community’s approach. The hysteroscopy involves inserting a camera through the cervix to examine the womb, without anesthesia, despite its capacity to cause severe distress in unpredictable cases.
Consultant gynecologist Dr. Kumar from Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board in North Wales, with 20 years of experience, acknowledges the challenge: pain levels are hard to predict. Factors like severe period pain or discomfort during speculum exams can signal a tougher experience, yet even these aren’t foolproof indicators. Waters, reflecting on her dual role as doctor and patient, now advises women that while the procedure is usually tolerable, it can be “extremely painful” for some—particularly those who haven’t given birth vaginally—urging better pre-procedure discussions about pain relief options. It is also noted that when it goes badly, the pain is intense and leaves women not wanting to have sex due to the uncomfortable feeling.
(see more below)
There is a broader issue of inadequate preparation and consent, echoing other women’s stories of being blindsided by the agony. Waters’ ordeal lasted months in her memory, shifting her from a clinician who downplayed the risks to an advocate for reform. Dr. Kumar stresses the need to “pre-warn all women,” yet the system often relies on basic painkillers like paracetamol, dismissed by many as insufficient.