What to say if you feel pain during surgery
Say the word "pain." Do not describe it as pressure.
Pressure and tugging are expected and normal. Sharp, burning, cutting or stinging sensations are not, and they should be treated immediately.
Options include more medication through the epidural, intravenous pain medicine, nitrous oxide, local anesthetic placed by the surgeon, or conversion to general anesthesia.
Agree on the words in advanceBefore the operation begins, say to the anesthesiologist: "If I say the word pain, I mean sharp pain, not pressure, and I want it treated." That one sentence removes the ambiguity that leaves women silently enduring an operation.
If you say it and are answered with "that is pressure," see the topic on what to do when your pain is answered with the word pressure, and the topic on what the anesthesia societies already tell your team to do.
Where this comes from:
293. Charles EA, Carter H, Stanford S, Blake L, Eley V, Carvalho B, et al. Intraoperative pain during cesarean delivery under neuraxial anesthesia: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Anesthesiology. 2025;143(1):156-167.
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This page is educational. It supports the conversation with your own clinicians. It is not consent to any treatment, and it cannot assess you. If you are worried about a symptom now, see urgent warning signs.