Warm Versus Room Temperature Saline as a Uterine Distension Medium for Pain Reduction in Women Undergoing Outpatient Hysteroscopy: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

August 15, 2026 updated by: Reem Mohamed
The goal of this randomized clinical trial is to determine whether using warmed saline at 37°C during outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy can reduce pain compared with room-temperature saline. The study will include women aged 18 to 70 years who are undergoing outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either warmed saline at 37°C or room-temperature saline as the fluid used to expand the uterine cavity during the procedure. Data collected will then be used to compare pain scores between the two groups during hysteroscopy and one hour after the procedure. The study will also assess whether participants require additional pain medication and whether the procedure is stopped because of severe pain. The main hypothesis is that warmed saline at 37°C will result in lower pain scores than room-temperature saline.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy is commonly performed for the evaluation of intrauterine abnormalities and other gynecological indications. Pain during hysteroscopy may be influenced by cervical manipulation, uterine distension, and uterine contractions. The temperature of the distension medium may influence patient discomfort during the procedure.

This study is a parallel-group superiority randomized controlled trial designed to compare warmed normal saline at 37°C with room-temperature normal saline as the uterine distension medium during outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy.

Eligible participants will be women aged 18 to 70 years who are scheduled for outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy and who are able to understand and report pain using a visual analog scale. Participants will provide written informed consent before enrollment.

A total of 60 participants will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to one of two study groups. The intervention group will undergo hysteroscopy using normal saline warmed to 37°C. The comparison group will undergo hysteroscopy using normal saline at room temperature. The temperature of the saline will be monitored using an infrared thermometer.

Pain intensity during the hysteroscopy will be assessed using a 0-to-10 visual analog scale and will constitute the primary outcome of the study. Secondary outcomes will include pain intensity one hour after the procedure, the need for additional analgesia during or after the procedure, and the proportion of participants in whom the procedure is abandoned because of intolerable pain.

The study will be conducted in the outpatient Endoscopy Unit of Demerdash Maternity Hospital, Ain Shams University. Diagnostic hysteroscopy will be performed using a 5-mm Karl Storz hysteroscope by the same senior physician.

The study is designed to determine whether the use of warmed saline at 37°C provides a clinically meaningful reduction in pain compared with room-temperature saline during outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
60

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Age 18-70 years.
  • Ability to understand and report pain using the Visual Analog Scale.
  • Willingness to undergo outpatient hysteroscopy and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Congenital genital tract malformations: including these patients could introduce a confounding factor because pain may result from difficult anatomy rather than the temperature of the distension medium.
  • Previous hysteroscopic procedures: pain perception may be influenced by prior experience rather than the intervention itself
  • Suspected pregnancy: standard gynecologic practice considers pregnancy a contraindication to elective diagnostic hysteroscopy
  • Active pelvic infection: instrumentation of an infected genital tract may increase morbidity and facilitate ascending infection. Also, pain scores may reflect infection-related pain rather than procedural pain.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Other
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Triple

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Warmed saline at 37 degrees celsius
Participants randomized to this arm will undergo outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy using normal saline warmed to 37°C as the uterine distension medium. The planned allocation is 30 participants.
Other: Warmed Saline at 37 degrees celsius
Normal saline warmed to 37°C and used as the uterine distension medium during outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy. The temperature of the saline will be monitored using an infrared thermometer before and during the procedure.
Active Comparator: Room-Temperature Saline
Participants randomized to this arm will undergo outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy using normal saline at room temperature as the uterine distension medium. The planned allocation is 30 participants.
Other: Room-Temperature Normal Saline
Normal saline at room temperature used as the uterine distension medium during outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain intensity during outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: During the hysteroscopy procedure
Pain intensity will be assessed using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 represents no pain and 10 represents the worst pain imaginable. The VAS score recorded immediately after the hysteroscopy will be compared between participants receiving warmed normal saline at 37°C and those receiving room-temperature normal saline.
During the hysteroscopy procedure

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pain intensity one hour after outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy measured using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Time Frame: 1 hour after completion of the hysteroscopy
Pain intensity will be assessed one hour after completion of the hysteroscopy using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 represents no pain and 10 represents the worst pain imaginable. VAS pain scores will be compared between participants receiving warmed normal saline at 37°C and those receiving room-temperature normal saline.
1 hour after completion of the hysteroscopy
Need for additional analgesia after outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy
Time Frame: 1 hour after completion of the procedure
The need for additional analgesia will be recorded as a binary outcome according to whether the participant requires analgesic medication. The proportion of participants requiring additional analgesia will be compared between the warmed saline at 37°C group and the room-temperature saline group.
1 hour after completion of the procedure
Proportion of procedures abandoned due to intolerable pain
Time Frame: During the hysteroscopy procedure
The proportion of participants in whom outpatient diagnostic hysteroscopy is abandoned because of intolerable pain will be recorded and compared between the warmed saline at 37°C group and the room-temperature saline group.
During the hysteroscopy procedure

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Reem Mohamed

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
Ain Shams University
Ain Shams Maternity Hospital

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 15, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 15, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 19, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 15, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • FMASU MS 555/ 2026

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings