Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 20, 2026
External Cephalic Version: Is it an Effective and Safe Procedure?
Published on: June 6, 2020
Pain associated with chorionic villus sampling: transabdominal vs transcervical approach
Joseph R Wax1, Norman P Davies, William J Watson
1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Maine Medical Center, Portland, ME, USA.
Objective:
The purpose of this study was to compare anticipated and perceived pain that is associated with transabdominal and transcervical chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
Study Design:
Women with singleton pregnancies who were undergoing CVS completed a preprocedure 0-10 visual analog scale (VAS; 0 = no pain, 10 = excruciating pain) for anticipated transabdominal and transcervical CVS-related pain. After the procedure, patients completed a VAS for perceived pain.
Results:
One hundred twenty-one women underwent transabdominal (n = 98) or transcervical (n = 23) CVS. Anticipated pain was 4.5 +/- 2.0, which was similar in patients who ultimately underwent transabdominal (score, 4.6 +/- 3.8) or transcervical (score, 4.1 +/- 2.2) CVS. Postprocedure perceived pain was similar for transabdominal CVS in women with an abdominal wall thickness of <4 cm (score, 2.3 +/- 0.8) and transcervical CVS (score, 2.6 +/- 2.2) but was significantly greater for transabdominal CVS among women with an abdominal wall thickness of > or =4 cm (score, 5.6 +/- 1.2; P < .0001) and nulliparous women who had transcervical CVS (score, 4.3 +/- 2.1; P = .01).
Conclusion:
Transabdominal CVS is more painful in heavier women, and transcervical CVS is more painful in nulliparous women.
