Hysteroscopy
How To Prepare
Tell your doctor if you:
- Are or might be pregnant.
- Are taking any medicines.
- Are allergic to any medicines.
- Have had bleeding problems or take blood-thinners, such as ASA or warfarin (Coumadin).
- Have been treated for a vaginal, cervical, or pelvic infection in the past 6 weeks.
- Have any heart or lung problems.
A hysteroscopy needs to be done when you are not having your menstrual period. If there is a chance that you could become pregnant, the hysteroscopy should be done before you are ovulating so your doctor is sure you are not pregnant.
Do not douche, use tampons, or use vaginal medicines for 24 hours before the hysteroscopy.
You may be given a medicine (sedative) to relax you for the test, or general, regional, or local anesthesia can be used. Your doctor will discuss this with you. If you are going to have general anesthesia, you will not be able to eat or drink for 8 hours before the test.
Arrange to have someone drive you home the day of the test in case you are given a sedative.
You will be asked to sign a consent form before the test. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form
(What is a PDF document?).
The hospital or surgery centre may send you instructions on how to get ready for your surgery or a nurse may call you with instructions before your surgery.
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| Author: | Carrie Henley Jan Nissl, RN, BS | Last Updated: May 15, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH - Family Medicine Deborah A. Penava, BA, MD, FRCSC, MPH - Obstetrics and Gynecology | |
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| Topic Contents | |
| Test Overview | |
| Why It Is Done | |
 | How To Prepare |
| How It Is Done | |
| How It Feels | |
| Risks | |
| Results | |
| What Affects the Test | |
| What To Think About | |
| References | |
| Credits | |