A clean bowel helps Dr Hawken see clearly. We send your preparation instructions before your appointment; Plenvu costs around $29 at the chemist.
View Plenvu at Chemist Warehouse ↗Split preparation means taking one dose the evening before and the second on the day of your colonoscopy. The later dose clears material that collects overnight, helping Dr Hawken see small polyps and other changes.
An early alarm can be inconvenient, but better cleansing improves the quality of the examination and reduces the chance of needing to repeat it because of poor preparation.
Most of the active preparation is concentrated into the evening before and the morning of the procedure—largely within one day. The low-fibre diet starts 2–3 days earlier.
Use your booked admission time, not the procedure start time. The team will confirm which schedule applies.
This is the evening-only schedule for patients assigned an early admission.
Open early-admission instructionsThe second-dose time is when you start drinking it. Examples are included in the PDF.
Open split-dose instructionsIf your admission time changes, or travel makes the schedule difficult, call the rooms on 02 4320 3457 for the correct instructions.
Follow the low-fibre diet in your PDF for 2–3 days beforehand. Finish a light lunch by 2:00 pm the day before, then have clear fluids only.
Each dose is 500 mL of Plenvu plus at least 500 mL of additional clear fluid, taken over about 60 minutes. Stop all food and drink, including water, at your specified fasting time.
Stay near a toilet and allow time for bowel movements before travelling. Follow any individual instructions from the team about medicines or extra preparation.
If you have constipation or previous poor preparation, contact the rooms early to discuss the additional preparation in your sheet. Call if you cannot complete the preparation or are repeatedly vomiting.
Want to understand more about bowel preparation?
Read GESA’s patient information ↗Back to the patient guide ↗