If your doctor or gynecologist has scheduled you for an endometrial biopsy, you may be wondering what to expect at your appointment. This guide will help you understand the procedure from before you head to the doctor’s office to recovering at home.
Before You Leave Home
Approximately an hour before leaving home for your endometrial biopsy appointment, you should take a painkiller such as ibuprofen. You will experience mild to moderate cramping during the procedure, and this will lessen the discomfort. Be sure to have some painkillers on hand for the rest of the day as well, as the cramping may continue into the evening.
Preparing At The Doctor’s Office
When you arrive at your doctor or gynecologist’s office, you will prepare for the procedure just as you would for an annual PAP test. You will be asked to undress from the waist down. If there is any chance of pregnancy, you will submit a urine based pregnancy test prior to the endometrial biopsy.
The procedure will take place in the same type of exam room where a PAP test would take place. You will be asked to lie back on an exam table with your feet in stirrups. You will only need to be in this position for ten to fifteen minutes, since the procedure is relatively quick and simple.
The Procedure: Endometrial Biopsy
The doctor will begin the procedure by widening your cervix with a speculum. The metal instrument is inserted through the vagina, and gently opened to widen the vaginal canal. This will allow the doctor access to your uterus to collect a sample of cells from the endometrial lining of your uterus.
After your cervix has been widened, the doctor will insert a long, slender plastic tube into the vagina. The tube will be inserted until it reaches the uterine cavity, and is able to rest against the lining of the uterus.
The tube has a plunger on the end, so when it is placed against the wall of the uterus, the doctor can pull back on the plunger, creating a small suction to collect a sample of the endometrial lining of the uterus. The tube is then filled with cell samples for testing. During this stage of the endometrial biopsy, you will feel mild to moderate cramping. Although the cramping is an overall feeling in the abdomen, a localized area of pain may be felt more predominantly in the area where the sample was taken of endometrial cells.
The sample of cells will be examined to look for changes in the cell structure, density and composition of the uterine wall. Variations in the endometrial lining of the uterus can be indicators of several women’s issues including, but not limited to, fibroids, cysts and cancer.
After Your Endometrial Biopsy Procedure
You may feel mild cramping for a few hours after the procedure, especially in the area where the endometrial lining sample was collected. If you feel severe cramping, have excessive bleeding or feel nauseous after your endometrial biopsy appointment, seek medical attention immediately. (There is a small risk of perforation of the uterus during this procedure.)
A small amount of bleeding after an endometrial biopsy is common, and should not be a concern. You may want to wear a panty liner pad after the procedure, and take a standard dosage of painkillers to ease your post procedure discomfort.
