This is a way we remove tissue from inside your womb. We may do it to get a sample of tissue to study. We call this a "biopsy." We may do it to treat a problem inside your womb. Or, we may do it to clear away tissue that was left behind after a miscarriage or a delivery.
To begin, you lie on a table that supports your legs and feet. We give you medicine to make you feel relaxed and numb, or to put you to sleep. We carefully place a device called a "speculum" into your vagina. The speculum holds your vagina open so we can reach your cervix. That's the lower part of your womb. We may use a device to hold your cervix steady.
In the center of the cervix is a passageway called the "endocervical canal." It leads to your womb. We need to open this canal. We call this "dilating" your cervix. We may have given you medicine before the procedure to dilate it. Or, we do it now by carefully placing a series of rods into your cervix. We start with the thinnest rod. Then we take it out and place one that's a bit thicker. We keep doing this until we've used thickest rod. Now your cervix is dilated, and we can reach your womb.
We use a spoon-shaped device called a "curette." We scrape it against the wall of your womb to collect and remove tissue. We can also remove tissue with a gentle suction device.
When it's done, we watch you for a brief time, then you can go home. Follow your care tips for a safe recovery. We'll follow up with you soon about any next steps we need to take.