It is performed with a hysteroscope - a narrow telescope with a light and camera at the end.
Images are sent to a monitor so your doctor or specialist nurse can see inside your womb.
The hysteroscope is passed into your womb through your vagina and cervix (entrance to the womb), which means no cuts need to be made in your skin.
A hysteroscopy can be used to:
- Investigate symptoms or problems
such as heavy periods, unusual vaginal bleeding, postmenopausal bleeding, pelvic pain, repeated miscarriages or difficulty getting pregnant - Diagnose conditions
such as fibroids and polyps (we may take a biopsy) - Treat conditions and problems
such as removing fibroids, polyps, displaced intrauterine devices (IUDs) and intrauterine adhesions (scar tissue that causes absent periods and reduced fertility)
Patient leaflet
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists' patient leaflet explains everything you need to know about the procedure - please read it before your appointment:
Outpatient Hysteroscopy - Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
Our services
- Outpatient hysteroscopy diagnostics and operative at the John Radcliffe Hospital
- Outpatient hysteroscopy diagnostics and operative at the Horton General Hospital
Consultants
Dr John Heathcote
Consultant, Hysteroscopy Lead
Mr Francis Gardner
Consultant
Find us and contact us
Women's Diagnostic Suite
Level 1 Outpatient Department
John Radcliffe Hospital Women’s Centre
How to find the John Radcliffe Hospital
Women's Day Surgery Unit
Horton General Hospital
How to find the Horton General Hospital
Tel: 01865 231 571
Web resource
The WID-easy Test
Patient information leaflet in text-only format
Your clinician has ordered a WID-easy test to investigate your symptom(s).
This document provides an overview of the test.
Background
Approximately 3 out of 100 women experiencing post-menopausal bleeding will be diagnosed with endometrial cancer. Traditionally, they may have had to undergo a series of diagnostic procedures to determine whether or not cancer was present. WID-easy is a new test that has been developed as an alternative approach, to help quickly and more accurately assess if a patient is at high or low risk of endometrial cancer.
The test requires a swab sample to be taken from the vagina and takes only a few days to be processed.
Evidence suggests that it can be a helpful tool to improve the diagnostic pathway.
What happens if you are asked to have the test
Your clinician will invite you to attend a short clinic appointment to have the test. You will be given the opportunity to ask questions, and the clinician will collect a swab sample from your vagina using a speculum. This should take only a few seconds to complete. The swab will then be placed in a secure vial and sent to a laboratory for testing.
What happens after the sample has been taken
Your sample will be analysed in the laboratory and the results reported to your clinician within a few days.
A member of the OUH Gynaecology team will then contact you to advise on the next steps.
If you receive a negative result, you are at low risk of having cancer. Depending on the details of your case, you may be discharged directly back to your Primary Care team, or offered a follow up clinic appointment within 6 weeks.
If you receive a positive result, this does not mean that you have cancer, but you may be at higher risk. A member of the OUH Gynaecology team will contact you to arrange further diagnostic tests to help collect further information.
Contacts for queries
If you have any queries please contact:
Horton Women’s Unit
Horton General Hospital, Banbury
Tel: 01295 229088
