Why endometrial biopsy

It can also rule out other diseases. Endometrial biopsy during pregnancy can lead to miscarriage. Your doctor may also want you to keep a record of your menstrual cycles before the biopsy.

This is usually requested if the test needs to be done at a particular time during your cycle. Tell your doctor about any prescription or over-the-counter medications you are taking. You might have to stop taking blood thinners before an endometrial biopsy. An endometrial biopsy can be uncomfortable. Your doctor may recommend that you take ibuprofen Advil, Motrin or another pain reliever 30 to 60 minutes before the procedure. Your doctor may also give you a light sedative before the biopsy.

You may want to ask a friend or family member to drive you home after the procedure. In an exam room, your doctor will have you lay on a table with your feet in stirrups. They then do a quick pelvic exam. They also clean your vagina and cervix. Your doctor may put a clamp on your cervix to keep it steady during the procedure. You might feel pressure or slight discomfort from the clamp.

Endometrial biopsy. Female Patient. Grimes DA. Diagnostic dilation and curettage: a reappraisal. Am J Obstet Gynecol. Kaunitz AM. Endometrial sampling in menopausal patients. Menopausal Med. Comparison of endometrial biopsy with the endometrial Pipelle and Vabra aspirator. J Reprod Med. Endometrial biopsy, bacteremia, and endocarditis risk. Obstet Gynecol. Defining and updating the American Cancer Society Guidelines for the cancer-related check-up: prostate and endometrial cancers.

CA Cancer J Clin. Nesse RE. Managing abnormal vaginal bleeding. Postgrad Med. Office diagnosis of endometrial carcinoma. Prim Care Cancer. This content is owned by the AAFP. A person viewing it online may make one printout of the material and may use that printout only for his or her personal, non-commercial reference. This material may not otherwise be downloaded, copied, printed, stored, transmitted or reproduced in any medium, whether now known or later invented, except as authorized in writing by the AAFP.

Contact afpserv aafp. Want to use this article elsewhere? Get Permissions. Read the Issue. Sign Up Now. Previous: Osteoporosis: Part II. Nonpharmacologic and Pharmacologic Treatment. Mar 15, Issue. Endometrial Biopsy. TABLE 2 Contraindications and Relative Contraindications for Endometrial Biopsy Contraindications Pregnancy Acute pelvic inflammatory disease Clotting disorders coagulopathy Acute cervical or vaginal infections Cervical cancer Conditions possibly prohibiting endometrial biopsy Morbid obesity Severe pelvic relaxation with uterine descensus Severe cervical stenosis.

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More in Pubmed Citation Related Articles. Some possible complications may include: Bleeding Pelvic infection Puncture of the uterine wall with the biopsy device, which is rare If you are allergic to or sensitive to medicines, iodine, or latex tell your healthcare provider.

Certain things may interfere with an endometrial biopsy including: Vaginal or cervical infections Pelvic inflammatory disease Cervical cancer How do I get ready for an endometrial biopsy?

Your healthcare provider will explain the procedure and you can ask questions. You will be asked to sign a consent form that gives your permission to do the procedure. Read the form carefully and ask questions if something is not clear. However, your healthcare provider may advise you to take a pain reliever 30 minutes before the procedure. Tell your healthcare provider if you are sensitive to or are allergic to any medicines, iodine, latex, tape, or anesthesia.

Tell your healthcare provider of all medicines prescription and over-the-counter and herbal supplements that you are taking. Tell your healthcare provider if you have a history of bleeding disorders or if you are taking any blood-thinning medicines anticoagulants , aspirin, or other medicines that affect blood clotting.

You may be told to stop these medicines before the procedure. Your healthcare provider may ask you to keep a record of your menstrual cycles. You may need to schedule the procedure for a specific time of your cycle. If your provider gives you a sedative before the procedure, you will need someone to drive you home afterwards.

You may want to bring a sanitary napkin to wear home after the procedure. Based on your condition, your healthcare provider may call for other preparation. What happens during an endometrial biopsy? Generally, an endometrial biopsy follows this process: You will be asked to undress fully or from the waist down and put on a hospital gown.

MRI scans use radio waves and strong magnets instead of x-rays. The energy from the radio waves is absorbed and then released in a pattern formed by the type of tissue and by certain diseases. A computer translates the pattern of radio waves given off by the tissues into a very detailed image of the inside of the body. This creates cross sectional slices of the body like a CT scanner and it also makes slices that are parallel with the length of your body.

MRI scans are very helpful for looking at the brain and spinal cord. Some doctors also think MRI is a good way to tell whether, and how far, the endometrial cancer has grown into the body of the uterus. MRI scans may also help find enlarged lymph nodes with a special technique that uses very tiny particles of iron oxide.

These are given into a vein and settle into lymph nodes where they can be spotted by MRI. In this test radioactive glucose sugar is given to look for cancer cells. Because cancers use glucose sugar at a higher rate than normal tissues, the radioactivity will tend to collect in the cancer.

A scanner can spot the radioactive deposits. This test can be helpful for spotting small collections of cancer cells. PET scans are not a routine part of the work-up of early endometrial cancer, but may be used for more advanced cases. If a woman has problems that suggest the cancer has spread to the bladder or rectum, the inside of these organs will probably be looked at through a lighted tube.

In cystoscopy the tube is put into the bladder through the urethra. In proctoscopy the tube is put in the rectum. These exams allow the doctor to look for cancer. Small tissue samples can also be removed during these procedures for testing.

They can be done using a local anesthetic but some patients may need general anesthesia. Your doctor will let you know what to expect before and after these tests.