speculum & pain

Hi ladies,

I hope to start IVF in late May. I'm really nervous about speculums. I always feel pain when I have a pap and when I had the HSG I felt the worst pain in my life as they opened the speculum (sorry to anyone that's contemplating HSG, I don't mean to scare you).

Does this happen to anyone else? Does your FS do anything to manage the pain, or does it get better over time?

I don't particulalry won't an anesthetic because I'm wiped out afterwards and vomit.

Eager to hear from anyone that has the same problem.

Thanks

have you tried naprogesic tablets?when i had my dye test that 's what was recommended for pain relief,took them about half an hour to an hour before procedure,may help for future paps,might be worth asking dr about.i'm going through ivf at the moment ,ist cycle,i have a fear of being totally knocked out with anesthetic but found a clinic who do egg pick up with mild sedation & a local anesthetic to numb area ,so i'll be drowsy but shouldn't be completely out of it.good luck with it all

I've always felt pain, i have to clench my fists and breathe in and out, it's ridiculous. Then I volunteered to participate in a cervical cancer study, which involved speculum AND probe, every single month for 6 months. I noticed that some days I felt pain, others not. I think it depends on the doctor, the size of speculum, and your state of mind. I guess some days I was like "let's just get this over with" and my mind was on other things during the procedure, and other days, I was like "Oh God, another round of spec and probe, gulp".
Maybe if you tell the Dr that you find it very painful, they may know some techniques, or simply be more gentle. Best of Luck!!!!!

i would advise them that you have had pain from the speculum in the past. when it comes to egg pick up, i don't know that you'll have a speculum (my understanding is that it's an ultrasound probe with needle attached) - at transfer, you will need the speculum, but there should be a fair amount of lubrication from both natural hormones and the crinone or progesterone pessaries that you are using. yes, it can be very uncomfortable - especially if you have a difficult cervix (tilted at a strange angle or higher than normal) - i know i've had discomfort most times, but i have a high cervix tilted to one side that rarely plays nice with being found (i have had to have the speculum upside down to get the right angle more than once!).

don't be afraid to tell them that you've had pain in the past - the aim is to have you as relaxed as possible - if you go in tense as you fear the pain, it is more likely to hurt as you're already tensing the muscles.

good luck for your cycle

BG

Thanks for you replies. I have a few ideas to think about now. I guess I was particularly worried because I read somewhere that you are less likely to get a BFP on a painful transfer.

i got three bfp's from transfers (unfortunately lost two) - all were very uncomfortable ( i won't say painful as i had one excruciating one where i ended up with a bruised urethra - in comparison, the rest were "very uncomfortable" lol)

I agree! I find it hurts like hell! My doctor has offered to give me some valium before hand. I haven't taken her up on the offer yet, but I might if this endless ivf process continues.

I thought I'd give an update in case anyone else with similar issues reads this thread.

I think my problem turned out to be muscular, rather than because of the catheter. I asked my FS for a speculum and set to work practising slowly opening it further and further as my confidence rose. As a result I had the most painless transfer this week...absolutely none. I think a papsmear would have hurt more. If I need further transfers I will practice with the speculum the week or so before hand.

GL to few of us ladies who find speculums difficult.