CERVICAL TENACULUM FORCEPS
What Is It?
A medical instrument that has been commonly used in gynecology for over a century. The tenaculum resembles a pair of scissors with sharp-pointed hooks at the end.
How Is It Used?
In procedures that require access to the uterus, gynecologists insert the tenaculum into the vagina, piercing the cervix tissue to seize and pull it steadily.
What's Wrong With It?
The tenaculum is highly effective because it provides a strong and firm hold of the cervix; however, it often causes pain and bleeding.
Dr. Martin Winkler – well-known for his many articles on Women’s Health – describes the tenaculum as a butcher’s hook, that can make holes in the cervix.
Common Gynecological Procedures That Use The Tenaculum
o Endometrial Biopsies
o Dilation and Curettage Hysteroscopy
o Hysterosalpingography
o Insertion of Intrauterine Contraceptive Devices (IUD)
o Intrauterine Insemination (IUI)
o Embryo Transfer (IVF)
Undesirable side effects of pain and bleeding discouraged some women from necessary procedures.
PAIN SCORES WITH TENACULUM REMAIN HIGH DESPITE EFFORTS TO MINIMIZE DISCOMFORT
To reduce the pain caused by the tenaculum, doctors use the “slow” and “cough” techniques.
o The slow method requires closure of the tenaculum over a 5-second period.
o The cough method the patient takes a deep breath and coughs at the closure of the tenaculum.
Neither of these methods has significantly reduced the pain associated with tenaculum use.
~90 MILLION
Women globally suffer from trauma caused by this device, annually.
90 PERCENT
Women report moderately to severe pain during procedures using tenaculum.
18 PERCENT
Women report fear of pain as the main reason for not choosing an IUD.