Women express different preferences for screening test performance. Maternal age rather than previous screening experiences appears to be the major influence in these choices.

Anecdotally, hysteroscopy and curettage under general anaesthesia causes crampy postoperative pain. A randomised, double-blind trial to investigate whether intrauterine lignocaine could decrease such pain was initiated by us. At an interim analysis, the results of the study found that almost half of all women studied so far (n = 53) were completely painfree from the moment they awoke with no difference between placebo and treatment groups. Of the remainder, most rated pain as either 'mild', or less. For most women, hysteroscopy, dilatation and curettage causes either none or very little pain postoperatively.

References1 Tong S, Zachariah R, Chua BG, Vollenhoven B. Hysteroscopy under general anaesthesia, a near painless procedure. Aust NZ J Obstetrics Gynaecol. 2003; 43: 344 -345. 2 Kafali H, Cengiz M, Demir N. Intrauterine lidocaine gel application for pain relief during and after hysterosalpingography.