Endometrial biopsy

[dum]

I'm going to have endometrial biopsy because of irregular spotting. The doc said it'll be uncomfortable because I've never given birth. Anyone in my situation and had endometrial biopsy? Was it unbearably painful like the WORST period cramp?  I'm advised to take 4x200mg motrin. Thanks

[greenThumbs]

Hello and welcome.  I have never given birth and had an endometrial biopsy about a month or so ago and it really was not that bad.  I had taken 3 200mg Advils before the biopsy, that is actually my standard dosage.  It was uncomfortable but bearable.  My doctor told me when the "big cramp" was coming and when it did I just tried to relax and breathe deeply.  That seemed to help.  Taking the pain medication before hand definitely helped.  Good luck.  Let us know how things go.

[Mary 53]

My (former) doctor FORGOT to mention the pre-medication idea. I think I had a headache or something and I'd taken some ibuprophen (this was about 12 yrs. ago, before Motrin was the recommended pain med) on my own, and I, too, take about 3 at a time. I was very grateful that I'd taken it! Would have liked to have heard from my doctor's office about this, though, so it is good to know that your doctor's office is on top of things. And, I would agree that it was bearable...in my case not horrible. I had given birth about 8 years prior to the procedure...Let us know how it goes. Mary

[dum]

Thank you both for sharing your experiences!  If you both say it's bearable, then it should be for me, too :)  How long did it take for you to recover from the pains/discomfort?  I'll need to go to a meeting about 2 hours after that :(

[lacjmc]

I had an endometrial biopsy several weeks ago and it was bearable, just take some pain medication.  It was a relatively quick procedure

[IrishFlame]

Yes - very quick.  It's not that bad - and the crampy feeling was essentially gone before I got out of the parking lot leaving.  I left and drove to O'Hare for a three hour flight - no problems at all.  

[PPhelps]

Make sure you take the meds before. They didn't tell me to take anything before, I cramped for awhile afterwards. The procedure wasn't bad itself. One big cramp. It was afterwards that I cramped alot.

[Androsiane]

I have to say, take the meds - mine really hurt.  I did it while I was in the office so I wouldn't have to come back and she never said anything about any discomfort.  I was on the ceiling and yelling - they must have wondered what the heck was going on in the waiting room.  She told me that most people don't react that way.  I did cramp for about 2 days after, but nothing unbearable then.
W.

[cip]

I had an endometrial biopsy before work one day - I think, as an afterthought and extra precaution to my doc. I have never had children, but started having contractions as he was doing the biopsy.  He had a name for them (something akin to labor contractions). Anyway, I had taken no pre medication. My blood pressure dropped and I almost passed out, although I was deep breathing. They had to give me juice and let me hang around awhile after. It was a pretty short procedure, though, and I went to work in only mild discomfort.

[dum]

Wow, sounds like the experiences are really of all kinds!  Probably it depends a lot on the skill of the doc?  I'm a little worried about the aftermath.  I'll have meetings and other things the same day and the following day, whole day, I really hope the pain/discomfort won't bother me.  Will there be spotting afterwards?

[cip]

My doc was good, I think, but I still had the contractions while in the office. He said there might be spotting, but I had none. I went to work afterwards, than to a funeral, then to a after funeral reception, then went and worked out. I was in mild discomfort, but it didn't hinder anything at all......

[dum]

Hi cip, thank you so much. Another thing just occurred to me: I have endometriosis, I wonder if the biopsy procedure could bring the endometriosis tissues somewhere where they are not supposed to be, thus worsen the condition. Ok I understand it will be within the cervix...  just a little curious ;) Also, will that area where the biopsy is done--will that area of the uterine wall be thinner thank elsewhere ever after? Could that affect future pregnancy?  Sorry if I appear to be over worried...

[cip]

It makes sense to wonder and worry about procedures that are new to us! My understanding is that they only take a very ,very small sample to biopsy. It shoud not effect any future procedure or a pregnancy.....

[dum]

Hi cip, thanks. I agree with you. However I'm beginning to hesitate whether to do it or not. The reason the doc suggested it was my spotting, but I think it's most likely because of endometriosis (maybe the fibroid, too--I have a small one).  As far as I've read, endometrial biopsy is for detecting cancer; anything else it's for?

[cip]

I had mine to be extra sure of ruling out cancer. I also have fibroids, but it had nothing to do with that. I am not sure whether or not it is also used to rule out or measure endometriosis somehow.As far as I know the main reason it is done is to rule out cancer cells, but there may be uses that I'm not aware of.

[dum]

Thanks, cip. Hope everything is ok with you now. It's so wonderful to meet you and others in this forum.  To feel one is not alone is one of the best medicines.  Have a great weekend!

[susadia]

Hi I've given birth to 4 children.  I'm 53 and been on prempro for one year and had break through bleeding for a month so my OBGYN wanted to do an endometrial biopsy.  She told me I'd feel slight cramping and they gave me 600mg ibuprofen.  Ok if everyone says it wasn't unbearable then there must be something wrong with me because it was the most painful thing I've gone through w/o gas, or some major pain killer.  I have always handled pain well but this was so painful when the OBGYN said it would be 15 seconds more I told her she better hurry bcos I couldn't take anymore. They also said I would stop cramping immediately and that I'd stop bleeding within an hour.  NOT! I bled for 3 days..(spotting) and cramped into the night. Like back labor.
Either something is wrong with me or perhaps my OBGYN isnt as experienced as others or shes sadistic.  I would never recommend having this done without some great perscription pain killers first.

[PF_PVD]

Please pay attention to the dates on these threads.  This forum is getting overrun with outdated posts.  This one is over two years old and I don't even know if most of these posters are still around.  Instead of dredging these old ones up, please start a new one IF it is relevant to ovarian cancer.  If not, please post on the ovarian cyst forum or another more appropriate forum like women's health in this case.

[pamelynn]

My gynecologist attempted the biopsy about a month ago and it was very painful!  I did not take anything for pain prior to the procedure and my drs. office didn't advise me too but did inform me that it could be "uncomfortable" and forewarned me about cramping.  I have had children and the closest I can remember from my experience delivering children that would compare would be that I had to have a DNC right after one delivery due to previous complications and it, too was very painful.  If you have a low threshold for pain you may consider what others have advised and pre-medicate yourself.  Unfortunately the procedure was unsuccessful and the dr. advised a hysteroscopy and DNC that after a second opinion I decided against.  My symptoms did not suggest a problem that would call for this but I am concerned now that I have taken the advice of the other practitioner and have set an appointment to see my dr. of record.  Good luck to you.

[Katie1960]

Hope it may help me get over what I think is a mild case of PTSD.

• Don’t do this without exploring in detail with your doctor:
o Has he/she offered you every possible drug that might help make this procedure easier on you?  If you are reading this blog because your procedure is scheduled for the future, you have absolutely no idea where on the pain spectrum you might land.  Some women experience it the way I did the first time, others the second.  There is no downside to pre-medicating that I can think of, and a lot of upside.  
o Why??  “Given, Dr. _____ what you know at this exact moment as you prepare to grip my cervix in your needle nosed pliers and insert a metal drinking straw into my uterus, what exactly do you hope to learn?”  If you aren’t positively gripped by the answer, kick your doctor out of the room and give yourself 5 minutes to think.  
• 48 years old, mother of three, vaginal births with epidurals, perfect health, endurance athlete.
• Not menopausal according to hormone tests.
• 2004 ablation to remove endometrial lining for heavy periods (if you are thinking about doing this -- do it!  Biggest non-event ever.)
• No periods at all for several years, then light periods about every three months for a couple of years.
• September 13, 2008 -- first Big Bad Clotty Horrible Awful Excruciating Period (BBCHAEP).  Blew it off.  
• Another BBCHAEP in January 2009 -- blew it off.  
• Another BBCHAEP in April -- blew it off.
• Early May, in for annual and told the physicians assistant about weird periods.  She did  the endometrial biopsy on the spot.  No walk in the park, but not nighmarish. Scheduled a follow up sonogram for today.  
• Two days after the biopsy, get a call that the sample wasn't big enough to test so when I came in for the sonogram, they would have another go at it.  I wasn’t surprised since I am actually not supposed to have an endometrial lining anymore.
• Started light bleeding two days ago.
• Appeared this morning and had the sonogram, which revealed 4 fibroids grown since ’04. Dr. as opposed to PA to perform  biopsy.
• Given no drugs, nor was it suggested that I take something before going in.  I have vials of Percocet and Xanax set aside for just such an occasion.  Considered taking something before the appt. because I knew based upon my prior biopsy it is stressful to lie there while someone digs around your uterus, but then I would not have been able to drive which would have required me to ask for help which I don’t do.  
• My doctor walked in and I asked “now why, exactly, are we doing this again?”  I was a trial lawyer for many years and both of my brothers are doctors, and I am just now asking this question???
• Looking for pre-cancerous cells, to which I responded “feel free to just take my uterus out – I have no further use for it.”  She laughed and said that was certainly something we should talk about because of the fibroids.
• 8 hours later, it is now clear that at that moment, I had all of the information needed to make a decision on a hysterectomy:
o Oct. ’08 MRI --bulging disc in my lower spine – likely from running too many miles.  Fibroids explain the random bouts of horrible back pain over the last several years so severe I have trouble getting out of bed, then “poof” – pain gone.  Pain appeared unrelated to anything external as ablation stopped my periods.  
o My gynecologist knew nothing about the back pain/MRI.
• Because I am a compliant woman who wants everyone to like me, and an independent woman who would vastly prefer experiencing a little “discomfort”, a “pinch”, some “pressure”, to disappointing someone, I meekly spread my legs.
• There are no words.  The pain was beyond the beyond.  I almost passed out but they roused me with smelling salts to finish.  I should not have been allowed to leave the office but all I could think of was “I have to get out of here.”  Put my head down in my car in the parking lot and passed out for some indeterminate period of time.   Made my way home on the back roads, pulling over several times.
• No post procedure cramping and very little bleeding.  But emotionally I feel raw – very quiet and find myself staring into space a lot.  
• I can’t say that I much care what the test shows – it wasn’t worth it.  I know I should feel differently, but I don’t.  There are places my brain is not meant to go, and that level of pain is one of them.  I hate knowing that I can hurt that much.  It makes me feel scared that I might ever be in that much pain again.  And I can’t.  I seriously can’t.  

[Cherry1018]

I feel your pain, dear.  Literally.

The endometrial biopsy I had July 3, 2009, was the single most painful experience I have EVER had to go through.

The doc's office told me to take the meds the night before which would dilate my cervix and help them get into the uterus, but they failed to tell me it would cause the most horrible cramping of my life.

By the time I got to my appt at 1:30 the following afternoon, I had already been in pain for 12 hours, and was exhausted from pain and no sleep.

The doc injected lidocaine but did not give it any time to start working.

You're right.  There are no words.  She kept telling me to breathe and all I could do was gasp and sob during the procedure.

The lidocaine kicked in about 30 seconds *after* she left the room.

Once I got ready to do my endometrial ablation a month later, I made sure they were going to knock me good and unconcious beforehand.

I've told all my friends and relatives how miserable to biopsy was and what they should look out for.  

I know what you mean about PTSD.  I feel it, too.

[LucyGoosey78]

I had this biopsy done yesterday...  Let's just say I had know idea how bad this would hurt!!  A co-worker of mine tried to prepare me on how painful it is, but I figured everybody has a different pain tolerance...and it wouldn't be too bad...  I was wrong.  This truly was the worst pain I had felt in my life.  I have not had any kids and my doctor told me that it is easier to do the procedure if you are on your period because your cervix is already open a little.  Well, I am on mine, I also took 800mg of Advil...still the worst pain ever!  The pain shot down into my rear end and up through my back...and of course she didn't get enough fluid the first time...so, we had to do round two.  Luckily my husband was there to hold my hand for the second round.  I too felt like I was going to faint or throw up...I got a cool towel on my head and some juice as well.  Even today (a day later) my ovaries feel like they are cramping off and on, I've been dizzy off and on, and my lower back hurts.  Honestly...I've always thought that I have a high pain tolerance...I have three tattoos and had my tongue pierced (when I was alot younger-happy to say it's gone now), but I have obviously felt pain before...but, not like this...