Why might I recommend it?
It can help investigate swallowing difficulties, persistent upper abdominal symptoms, bleeding or low iron, and check some conditions that need follow-up.
Watch your gastroscopy
A short guide to what you can expect. 1:50 · English narration and captions
Captions are included in the film. Your own preparation instructions, consent discussion and discharge advice take priority.
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Read the film transcript
0:00 A closer look inside
A gastroscopy gives a close-up view of your food pipe, stomach and the first part of your small bowel.
0:08 Before your appointment
Follow your appointment’s fasting and medicine instructions. Call your endoscopy team if anything is unclear. Don’t stop medicines without advice.
0:18 Time for your questions
The team checks your health, medicines and allergies, discusses throat spray, sedation and individual risks, and answers your questions before you give consent.
0:28 Getting you comfortable
You usually lie on your left side with your knees bent. Monitoring is set up before any sedation. Sedation helps you relax, but awareness varies.
0:40 From your mouth to your stomach
The scope passes through your mouth, around the back of your tongue and into the food pipe. It does not enter your windpipe. From there, it reaches your stomach and duodenum.
0:51 The view on the screen
The camera sends pictures to a screen so the lining can be examined carefully.
0:59 Why a sample may be taken
Tiny samples, called biopsies, may be taken—even when the lining looks normal. Taking samples is usually not felt and doesn’t necessarily mean cancer.
1:10 Resting afterwards
Afterwards, you rest while the team monitors you. Follow the advice about when to eat and drink.
1:17 Getting home safely
If you have sedation, arrange an adult to collect you. Follow the discharge restrictions, including no driving, even if you feel awake.
1:26 Your results and follow-up
Afterwards, you’ll hear the initial findings and what happens next. Biopsy results come later, with treatment and follow-up documented in your endoscopy or histology report.
1:37 If you feel unwell at home
Seek urgent advice for severe pain, fever, bleeding or persistent vomiting. Use your discharge contact details. Call 111 for collapse or severe breathing difficulty.
Where does the camera go?
Modern high-definition video endoscopes give a clear, close-up view of the digestive lining on a monitor.
Front view, not to scale. Your right is on the left of the picture. The camera stays inside the digestive tract. Its exact position varies.
The route through the digestive tract
The camera passes through the pylorus into the first part of the small bowel. Other investigations can assess the remaining small bowel when needed.
Oesophagus
The camera passes through your mouth and down the food pipe into the stomach. I can check its lining for inflammation, narrowing and other changes.
Stomach
I examine the stomach, including its upper part, body and outlet. I may turn the camera tip back within the stomach to inspect areas from another angle.
Duodenum
The camera passes through the stomach outlet (pylorus) into the first part of the small bowel. I usually inspect the duodenal bulb and the next section.
Read the anatomy and route as text
The camera passes through the pylorus into the first part of the small bowel. Other investigations can assess the remaining small bowel when needed.
1. Oesophagus
The camera passes through your mouth and down the food pipe into the stomach. I can check its lining for inflammation, narrowing and other changes.
2. Stomach
I examine the stomach, including its upper part, body and outlet. I may turn the camera tip back within the stomach to inspect areas from another angle.
3. Duodenum
The camera passes through the stomach outlet (pylorus) into the first part of the small bowel. I usually inspect the duodenal bulb and the next section.
Your appointment,
step by step.
An empty stomach and an individual medicine plan
Follow the fasting and medicine instructions supplied by the endoscopy service for your appointment. Tell the team about diabetes or weight-loss medicines, blood thinners and any previous problems with sedation.
If instructions are missing or unclear, call our endoscopy team before changing a medicine. Arrange transport home if you plan to have sedation.
The examination and your comfort
We will discuss throat spray and sedation before the procedure. Throat spray reduces gagging. Sedation helps you relax and reduces awareness, but people respond differently. Deeper sedation may be suitable for some people and needs to be arranged with the service.
Your breathing, oxygen level and pulse are monitored. The scope passes through your mouth into the food pipe, stomach and duodenum. I may take small biopsies. You will not usually feel the sample being taken.
Recovery, results and follow-up
You will be monitored after the procedure. A mild sore throat or bloating can occur. Follow the advice about when to eat and drink, particularly if throat spray was used.
If you have sedation, a responsible adult needs to collect you. Follow the service’s discharge instructions about driving, work, alcohol, decisions and support at home.
I can explain what I have seen. Tissue results come later. Your recommended follow-up will be documented in the endoscopy report and/or histology report once those results are available.
Read all three stages
Before: An empty stomach and an individual medicine plan
Follow the fasting and medicine instructions supplied by the endoscopy service for your appointment. Tell the team about diabetes or weight-loss medicines, blood thinners and any previous problems with sedation.
If instructions are missing or unclear, call our endoscopy team before changing a medicine. Arrange transport home if you plan to have sedation.
On the day: The examination and your comfort
We will discuss throat spray and sedation before the procedure. Throat spray reduces gagging. Sedation helps you relax and reduces awareness, but people respond differently. Deeper sedation may be suitable for some people and needs to be arranged with the service.
Your breathing, oxygen level and pulse are monitored. The scope passes through your mouth into the food pipe, stomach and duodenum. I may take small biopsies. You will not usually feel the sample being taken.
Afterwards: Recovery, results and follow-up
You will be monitored after the procedure. A mild sore throat or bloating can occur. Follow the advice about when to eat and drink, particularly if throat spray was used.
If you have sedation, a responsible adult needs to collect you. Follow the service’s discharge instructions about driving, work, alcohol, decisions and support at home.
I can explain what I have seen. Tissue results come later. Your recommended follow-up will be documented in the endoscopy report and/or histology report once those results are available.
Your own preparation instructions come first
Follow the plan from the service where you are booked. It should cover food, fluids, medicines and transport. If you are unsure, call our endoscopy team.
What can biopsies tell us?
Biopsies can help check for infection, coeliac disease, inflammation and other changes. They can be useful even when the lining looks normal. Taking a biopsy does not mean that I suspect cancer.
Some treatments can be performed during gastroscopy, depending on what is found and what has been agreed beforehand.
How do I take a biopsy from inside the digestive tract?
Small instruments pass through a working channel inside the scope. A biopsy usually takes a tiny sample from the surface lining for laboratory examination. I do not cut through the whole bowel wall to take a routine biopsy.
Simplified side view. The wall is not shown at its actual thickness.
I examine the surface lining. Biopsies can be useful even when the lining looks normal.
How safe is the examination?
Gastroscopy is generally very safe. Serious complications are uncommon, and perforation (a hole in the digestive tract) is very rare. I will discuss the risks relevant to your health and any planned treatment.
When to get help afterwards
Follow your discharge advice. Seek urgent medical assessment for new breathing difficulty, heavy or ongoing bleeding, vomiting blood, black tarry stools, severe or worsening chest or abdominal pain, new significant difficulty swallowing, fever, persistent vomiting, or feeling faint or very unwell.
Call 111 if you collapse, have severe breathing difficulty, have heavy bleeding with faintness, or are too unwell to travel safely.
Common questions
Can I breathe during gastroscopy?
The scope passes down your food pipe, rather than your windpipe. You can still breathe during the examination.
Our team monitors your breathing and oxygen levels, particularly if you have sedation.
Why take biopsies if the lining looks normal?
Some changes can only be seen under a microscope. I may take small samples to investigate conditions such as coeliac disease or inflammation of the food pipe.
Taking a biopsy does not, by itself, mean I suspect cancer.
How long will the procedure and visit take?
Gastroscopy and colonoscopy are usually day procedures, so most people go home on the same day. You will be given a morning or afternoon appointment slot. This is a session time, rather than a guaranteed procedure start time.
The examination itself may be relatively short, but the full visit also includes admission, preparation, consent, recovery and discharge. It can take longer if biopsies, polyp removal or other treatment is needed.
There can sometimes be a wait before the procedure, particularly if an earlier case takes longer or urgent work is added to the list. Please allow enough time for the whole visit. You will usually go home soon after you have recovered and the team has completed your discharge instructions.
If you have sedation, a responsible adult will need to take you home and you must follow the restrictions provided by the endoscopy service.
Will I be asleep?
This depends on the sedation chosen. With moderate sedation you are usually relaxed and drowsy, but may still respond to instructions and remember some of the procedure. Deeper sedation reduces awareness further.
We will discuss the options that suit your health, the procedure and your preferences. Some people choose to have their test without intravenous sedation. Deeper sedation needs to be arranged with the service.
What are my options for sedation?
Approval for endoscopy does not always include every sedation option or the anaesthetist fee. Please discuss your preference with our team before booking and confirm cover with your insurer.
Southern Cross has additional eligibility criteria for deeper sedation from 1 April 2026. Ask our team which options are suitable for you and confirm your own policy and any anaesthetist fee with your insurer. The linked guide explains the options in more detail.
Can I drive home after sedation?
If you have sedation, arrange for a responsible adult to collect you. Sedation can affect judgement and coordination even when you feel awake.
Follow your discharge instructions about driving, alcohol, work, machinery, important decisions and support at home. Confirm these arrangements with the endoscopy service before your appointment. Faster waking after propofol does not mean you can drive yourself home.
How soon can I travel after gastroscopy or colonoscopy?
Gastroscopy and colonoscopy are generally very safe. Serious complications are uncommon, and the risk is lower after a diagnostic examination, including routine small biopsies, than after treatment such as removal of a large polyp.
Tell our team about travel plans before booking. As a practical precaution, allow two weeks between colonoscopy and overseas, long-haul or remote travel unless the team confirms a shorter interval is suitable. Polyps may be found and removed on the day. Delayed bleeding is one reason to stay within reach of medical care: it can occur several days after removal and up to two weeks later.
After an uncomplicated diagnostic gastroscopy or colonoscopy, a two-week restriction is not usually needed once the findings are known. Allow at least 24 hours before flying after colonoscopy. After sedation, do not drive or travel independently for 24 hours, and arrange the support specified in your discharge instructions. Confirm your flight and any long journey with the team, especially after polyp removal, dilatation or other treatment.
Seek urgent medical assessment for heavy or ongoing bleeding, black tarry poo, severe or worsening tummy or chest pain, fever or faintness. Do not set off on a trip with these symptoms. Call 111 for collapse, heavy bleeding with faintness, severe breathing difficulty or if you cannot travel safely.
When will I receive my results?
I can explain what I have seen after the procedure. Tissue samples need laboratory examination, so some answers come later. Our team will explain how you will receive those results and the expected timeframe.
Your recommended follow-up will be documented in the endoscopy report and/or histology report once the tissue results are available. If an expected result has not arrived, call our team.
What if I am worried about discomfort or a previous difficult procedure?
Tell our team before the appointment. We can review what happened previously and discuss preparation, comfort and sedation options.
The plan depends on your health, the procedure and the service where it is performed. Deeper sedation needs to be arranged with the service.
Understanding your histology report
Three things to remember
- Use the preparation and medicine plan for your own appointment.
- Arrange transport home and follow the discharge advice if you have sedation.
- Your recommended follow-up is documented in the endoscopy report and/or histology report once tissue results are available.