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Endometrial Biopsy: I’m terrified, what can I expect?
Hi there, I have no bleeding but my endometrial thickness is a 6 and I have an endometrial biopsy scheduled in 30 days and I'm terrified. I made the mistake of reading all the horror stories on the internet. My doctor said it is painful and is preparing me by asking me to take VagiFem 10 for the next month and also to take advil before arriving. I've had pap smears all my life and they never hurt but my last one did. But I think that's because the doctor ( mine retired ) used a large instrument which hurt but then switched to a smaller one which was fine. It's a different doctor who will do the biopsy. I've had 2 transvaginal ultrasounds which didn't hurt and one hysterscopy which didn't hurt at all. But I'm terrified of the biopsy. My ultrasound showed a thickness of 6, nothing else, and my CT scan showed nothing. I wish my doctor hadn't told me it would hurt - when I said my last pap smear hurt, he said this would hurt more. He wasn't trying to be mean, just preparing me. I'm hoping I can do it. Any thoughts? And thanks for listening.
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Thanks, Gynosaur! I loved that I could share my honest feelings here - feelings of fear, how nervous I was, and how the long wait was a real struggle. I loved that people responded sharing their own journeys and stories and feelings. I also learned a lot. I asked the doctor if losing weight could help thin my endometrium and he responded that it might, but since it was only up by 1mm, he wasn't necessarily sure if being a bit overweight is what made it that way. I'm not hugely overweight, but I can definitely lose some, so I'm making a valiant effort to lose before my next ultrasound in 6 months. I'm really working on my eating habits - choosing to eat healthier and exercise more. This was a real wake-up call for me - to get my act together. I am so grateful that I found this forum and read other women's journeys and what they're facing. I knew nothing about endometrial cancer before this and I am glad I know more now. And I wish everyone here all the best in the world.
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1 ReactionHi Farrplace - that's fantastic that you kept questioning the frequency of your UTIs. Way to go! And that's great that they discovered your cancer at an early stage. Very unexpected. Thanks for sharing this. So your thickness jumped from an 8 to an 11. I have no bleeding but mine is a 6 and I'll have an ultrasound in 6 months to see if it changes. If I have any bleeding I'm to call immediately. How long did it take to jump from an 8 to an 11. I am so grateful that my biopsy showed no cancer but I am aware that could change down the road. My doctor wasn't even looking for this - they were testing me for some abdominal pain that has gone away. That's so amazing that you began your own journey looking for answers and because of this, they found the cancer super early. Enjoy your retirement. You deserve it!
@farrplace2025318 Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. It is so good that you followed up o the frequency of UTIs and that the imaging, while certainly unexpected, led to more scanning and testing. I'm thinking that when you started on this with the urogynecologist that you hoped to get answers for the frequent UTIs and did not expect this outcome. While the cancer diagnosis may have been a shock I'm so glad for your sake that it was found so early.
Did your surgeon recommend that you be followed for active surveillance for the next 5 years? That was my recommendation after I was diagnosed with Endometroid adenocarcinoma, FIGO Grade 1, Stage 1, same as you.