I fully endorse everything Anna Moore writes in her excellent article on the lack of pain relief for hysteroscopies (‘It was barbaric. I was crying my eyes out’: why are so many women left in agony by routine womb examinations?, 16 August).
I have had three of these barbaric procedures, two of them being associated with being on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). All three were administered with very basic pain relief, ie a small amount of local anaesthetic, which I would compare to numbing a gum with a piece of ice and then proceeding with root canal treatment. I was offered a general anaesthetic on the third occasion, but this is way too much. At no point was anything else offered, like it is for colonoscopies.
I feel the system is biased against women. The hysteroscopies were much worse than childbirth for me – it was zero dilation to full dilation in no time at all. As a result of my three awful experiences, I came off HRT, because I have no wish to experience this ever again.
In the 21st century, the NHS should be offering women a bit more than a paracetamol and the equivalent of a bit of ice. A bit of dignity would also help – a recovery space perhaps? Or even treat us like men who have colonoscopies.
Carole Kendall
Letchworth, Hertfordshire
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