Risks

As with any surgical procedure, there is risk of bleeding, infection and complications due to anesthesia. These are rare. There is also a risk that one of the instruments may cause a small hole in the uterus. This might require a laparoscopy to repair or may heal on its own.

Procedure

You will call our surgery scheduler to set up a time for the procedure. This is usually performed at an independent outpatient surgery center or at Northside hospital’s outpatient surgery center. You cannot eat or drink anything after midnight. You will have an IV placed and be taken back to the operating room where you will be given medicine in your IV to put you to sleep for 15-30 minutes. A speculum will be placed in the vagina (just like when you have a pap smear in the office) and the cervix will be dilated. An instrument will then be placed through the cervix and into the uterus and the uterine lining is scraped out and sent to the pathologist.

Post procedure

You will have prescriptions for Motrin and, if needed, a narcotic pain medicine. Most people require 1-2 days to recover, perhaps experiencing some post-operative cramping and light bleeding.