From pain gaslighting to gender biases in women’s accounts of hysteroscopy: A qualitative reflexive thematic analysis (20 April 2026)

Summary

Despite being regarded as the gold standard, outpatient hysteroscopy (OPH) is associated with inconsistent outcomes and pain, while the clinical, organisational, and personal determinants shaping patient-centred experience remain poorly characterised.

This study aimed to harness the authenticity and richness of naturally occurring online qualitative data to explore the clinical, organisational, and personal factors that shape women’s hysteroscopy experiences, offering vital insights for service improvement.

Content

The study found that five themes captured women’s specific hysteroscopy experiences: (1) Contingent Consent, (2) Unacknowledged Vulnerability, (3) Analgesia Roulette, (4) Gynaecological Pain Gaslighting, and (5) Gendered Pain Gap.

These themes delineate a hysteroscopy pathway where consent is shaped by limited choices and misinformation, vulnerability is heightened by procedural exposure, pain relief is inconsistently applied, women's suffering is routinely dismissed, and gender biases reinforce unequal standards of care.

This study identifies clinical blind-spots that contribute to perceptions of systemic neglect in women’s gynaecological health care, evidenced by inconsistent pain management, inadequate consent, and gendered biases in OPH. These findings present an opportunity to inform structural reforms that advance equitable, patient-centred gynaecological care and improve clinical accountability.

Further reading on the hub:

• Painful hysteroscopy Community thread
• My experience of an outpatient hysteroscopy procedure
• Preventable negative hysteroscopy experience