Routine womb examinations, known as hysteroscopies, are a common procedure in England, with 71,000 performed in 2021. However, a campaign group, Hysteroscopy Action (HA), is raising concerns about the level of pain experienced by many women and the availability of adequate pain relief.
Beth Harris, who underwent a hysteroscopy in February 2026 to remove a fibroid, described her experience as "barbaric," despite being given local anaesthetic. She reported crying during the procedure and feeling as if she had been assaulted. She also witnessed other patients experiencing distress and collapsing.
HA, founded in 2010, advocates for all hysteroscopy patients to be fully informed about the procedure, including the risk of severe pain, and to be offered a comprehensive range of pain relief options. These options, they suggest, should include local anaesthesia, gas and air, conscious sedation, epidural, and general anaesthetic when needed.
Katharine Tylko, a founder member of HA, highlighted that a 2020 multicentre study found the mean pain score for outpatient hysteroscopies was 5.2, which is considered "moderate" and would typically merit codeine in a hospital ward. The study also indicated that 35% of women reported a "severe" pain score of seven or above.
While the renewed Women's Health Strategy in April 2026 called for informed consent and a choice of pain relief for hysteroscopies, HA states there has been "nothing since. Just silence."