Hysteroscopy
View other tests
What is the
test?
Hysteroscopy is a procedure that allows a gynecologist
to look inside your uterus. The hysteroscope
is a long tube, about the size of a straw, which
has a built-in viewing device. Hysteroscopy is
useful for diagnosing and treating some problems
that cause infertility, miscarriages, and abnormal
menstrual bleeding. Sometimes other procedures,
such as laparoscopy, are done at the same time
as hysteroscopy.
Back to top >
How
do I prepare for the test?
The time that you schedule this test can be
important. Your gynecologist is able to get the
best view of the uterine lining during the week
that follows your period. If you have regular
cycles, it is helpful for you to anticipate the
timing of your next period and plan to have the
hysteroscopy done in the following week.
Tell your doctor ahead of time if you have ever
had an allergic reaction to lidocaine or the
numbing medicine used at the dentist's office.
Discuss different options for anesthesia with
your doctor in advance.
If your doctor plans on giving you any anti-anxiety
medicines before the procedure, or if you are
going to have other tests done at the same time
as hysteroscopy, you might be told not to eat
or drink for eight hours or more before the test.
Just before the test, you should empty your bladder.
Back to top >
What
happens when the test is performed?
You lie on your back on an examination table,
with your knees bent and your feet in footrests,
as you would for a pelvic examination. Your vaginal
area is cleaned with an antibacterial soap.
This procedure can be done with local, regional,
or general anesthesia. Local anesthesia requires
injections of numbing medicine into the tissue
surrounding your cervix, inside your vagina.
You remain awake through the procedure and may
feel some cramping in your pelvis.
Regional anesthesia for hysteroscopy is done
with either a spinal block or epidural block.
For this type of anesthesia, a drug is injected
through a needle or tube in your lower back by
an anesthesiologist. You are awake for the procedure,
but you do not feel pain from your pelvic region.
If you are having other procedures (such as
laparoscopy) done at the same time as hysteroscopy,
you might have general anesthesia, which puts
you to sleep so you are unconscious during the
procedure. General anesthesia is administered
by an anesthesiologist, who asks you to breathe
a mixture of gases through a mask. After the
anesthetic takes effect, a tube may be put down
your throat to help you breathe.
Once the anesthesia is working, the opening
of your cervix may need to be widened. This can
be done with instruments that stretch the opening.
Your gynecologist inserts the hysteroscope through
the vagina and cervix and into the uterus. A
liquid or gas is released through the hysteroscope
to expand the inside of the uterus so that your
doctor has a clearer view. A light at the end
of the instrument allows your doctor to see the
walls of the uterus and the openings of the fallopian
tubes at the top of the uterus. The doctor may
also insert small surgical instruments through
the hysteroscope to carry out such procedures
as taking a sample of tissue (biopsy), removing
a polyp or growth, removing the lining of the
uterus with dilation and curettage (D&C), or
treating the lining of your uterus with ablation
electricity to prevent bleeding.
Back to top >
What
risks are there from the test?
After the procedure, you may have slight vaginal
bleeding and cramps for one or two days. Sometimes
a small amount of the gas used to expand the
uterus can float up to the top of the abdomen
and remain there for a day or two before it dissolves
away. This can cause some shoulder pain. Some
patients experience nausea from medicines used
for anesthesia or anxiety.
Some of the procedures that are done along with
hysteroscopy have risks of their own. You should
ask your doctor about special risks that might
come along with additional procedures planned
for you.
Back to top >
Must
I do anything special after the test is over?
If you have the test done with local anesthesia,
you can go home right away. If you have regional
or general anesthesia, you will need to stay
for a few hours to be watched by your doctor.
If you have general anesthesia or anti-anxiety
medication, you should not drive or drink alcohol
after the test.
You should notify your doctor if you have a
fever over 101° F, strong abdominal pain,
or heavy bleeding from your vagina.
Back to top >
How
long is it before the result of the test is
known?
Your doctor can tell you what was seen through
the hysteroscope right away. If a biopsy sample
is removed, the analysis might take several days.
Back to top >
View
other tests |
HOME
MY
CART
