What Factors Affect Pain Tolerance during Hysteroscopy? - Revista Brasileira de Ginecologia e Obstetrícia

What Factors Affect Pain Tolerance during Hysteroscopy? |

Hysteroscopy is considered the gold standard for the evaluation and management of intrauterine pathologies because it is capable of simultaneously offering diagnosis and treatment for many of them. Genital tract infections, pregnancy, pelvic inflammatory disease, active herpetic infections, or human papilloma virus infections are contraindications for its performance. The indications are diverse, including suspected intracavitary mass, abnormal endometrial thickening, infertility, congenital anomalies, intrauterine adherence, in addition to post-treatment follow-up, and biopsy may be performed when necessary.

Initially, outpatient hysteroscopy was restricted to diagnostic procedures. With advances in technology, there has been an increase in their practice in the office, rather than in the operating room with anesthesia. Despite this, the outpatient method is associated with higher levels of pre- and intraprocedure anxiety, which impairs patient satisfaction with the intervention and is associated with a greater perception of pain. Furthermore, higher levels of pain during the intervention were associated with high rates of refusal to perform the procedure in the future, as well as higher rates of unsuccessful procedures. Thus, the impact of pain on the continuity of health care by patients is notorious, as well as its interference in the adequate control of their pathologies.

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