Influence Of Emotional Status On The Pain During The Outpatient Hysteroscopy

Abstract

Introduction: The outpatient hysteroscopy is a minimally invasive technique, well tolerated by the majority of patients. However, the pain appears in a considerable percentage of patients, and this is the leading cause of failure. There are different factors related to pain. The aim of the present study is analyzing the association between emotional status and pain perception during the outpatient hysteroscopy. Material and methods: A retrospective survey. It was composed of 192 patients with sonographic diagnosis of endometrial polyp. An outpatient hysteroscopy was conducted from March 2013 to January 2015. Socio-demographic data and obstetrician history were collected. The intensity of pain during the test was evaluated by means of EVA, as well as the emotional state by means of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Results: The average score in VAS was 5.06. Regarding the score in HAD, it was 6.87 in anxiety and 4.25 in depression. For the entire sample, a positive correlation was evidenced between the intensity of pain (VAS) and the level of depressive symptomatology (HAD depression; p=0.001). This correlation was not shown in patients with anxiety symptomatology (p>0.05). The patients who did not succeed during the procedure, a correlation with the pain perception was observed, with a higher punctuation in VAS and depression scale (p<0.05). Conclusion: There are some factors such as the emotional status of the patient which could modulate the perception of the pain, showing a positive correlation between them. This is an important issue to considerer for the success of the ambulatory hysteroscopy.