I'm doing a project for sex ed class at school and I need to know what some of the more painful gyno tests are. I need to know what they involve the gyno doing, and how painful it was. I know one of the more painful things is when they do a straight cath into your bladder, but I need a couple personal stories about it. Please reply if you have any experiences. The project is due in a couple weeks, and I haven't even started!

actually, a bladder cath is not usually painful, although it's uncomfortable. If you are referring to office procedures (as opposed to ones for which you would be asleep and which would therefore not be painful, at least during...) perhaps the most painful might be an endometrial biopsy, wherein a thin probe with openable jaws, or a suction catheter, is passed through the cervix into the uterus, and a piece of uterine lining tissue (endometrium) is removed. It can cause cramping. here is a site with more info: there are others if you search the term.

One of the more uncomfortable (to me that is an understatement) procedures I had done were biopsies of my cervix when they were taking specimens for cancer. They had to grab eight biopsies with the device Sid described. NOT a pleasant experience.. to make a bad thing worse, a new intern was observing so they used a camera to observe the procedures, so I had a blow-by-blow observation of the whole thing in color as it was done (Makes me want to cry in pain in remembrance). This is not a procedure done to all women, just ones they suspect may have cervical cancer, so don't worry about it.

I've had the Endomettial Biopsy done twice. One time, while I was hospitalized, and one time in the doctor's office. This is a very painful precedure, and I felt weak and sick for about an hour afterward. I also spotted a little bit for a few hours. I'm sure each patient is different, but I think it's worth putting a patient to sleep for this precedure. Sid explained how it's done, so with his explanation, and my experience, you get the picture.

On the other hand, I've had biopsies done on both breasts preceeding a double lumpectomy, where they stick long needles or sticks (I'm not sure what they are made of) slowly into the breasts while they take X-rays to guide them so they point right at the lump. I can assure you this does not hurt at all, nor is it painful to have a breast cyst aspirated, so don't fear that. I've had a cervical biopsy also, and that was painful but no more so than the stupid pelvic exam we have to go through every once in a while.

My most painful gyno experience was a sonogram I had once to view an ovary. I was made to drink a gallon of water beforehand, so they could move the bladder to one side to view the ovary. I drank the whole thing (I hate water!) and got on the table to await the technician. Unfortunately at that very moment he was called away for an emergency, and I waited 45 minutes with a gallon of water sloshing around inside me. Needless to say, housekeeping had to be called, and the procedure rescheduled.

Catty (ouch, Owie, OWWWWW!)