Transvaginal ultrasound is firmly in the list of the most unpleasant medical procedures. According to the National library of medicine, this type of ultrasound may be assigned if your doctor needs to examine the uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix or other internal organs of the pelvis. The peculiarity of this procedure is that to obtain the image, the doctor must insert the device of impressive size into the vagina. That is why many women try to avoid a transvaginal ultrasound. We hope that information about how the procedure will help to cope with anxiety and fear.
Indications for transvaginal ultrasound
There are a few common reasons related to reproductive health for which the doctor may offer to perform a transvaginal ultrasound.
If you are in the first trimester of pregnancy, your doctor may prescribe procedure to track the development of a fetus. Transvaginal ultrasound helps to more information than external ultrasound.In the first trimester the fetus is so small that it is difficult to explore using transabdominal ultrasound, in which the drive apparatus in the stomach.
The need for transvaginal ultrasound in the first trimester depends on factors such as your age (women aged 35 years and older are usually prescribed to the us in the earlier stages) and the presence of a history of complicated pregnancies. In addition, it may depend on the gynecologist and his working methods, as some experts prescribe a transvaginal ultrasound six weeks of pregnancy, while others do it at a later time, satisfied with the information obtained during transabdominal ultrasound.
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Also, the doctor may recommend a transvaginal ultrasound if you are experiencing pain or pressure in the pelvic region, or you had abnormal bleeding that requires further investigation. For example, transvaginal ultrasound can be helpful in diagnosing such conditions as uterine fibroids, endometriosis and ectopic pregnancy. Finally, some doctors include it in the list of annual gynecological examinations, in order to have a more complete picture of reproductive health and anatomy of the patient.
How to prepare for a transvaginal ultrasound?
Usually, patients do not need to undertake special preparatory procedures before transvaginal ultrasound study, but be sure to ask your doctor about the need to urinate beforehand.
Perhaps the doctor will ask that you have passed the ultrasound with a partially full or empty bladder, so we recommend to clarify this nuance in advance. It depends on what he wants to watch, so it’s possible that in your situation it may not play any role.
The Mayo clinic recommends that you come for examination in loose clothing. Perhaps you will be asked to change into a disposable gown, but sometimes patients ask to remove underwear and other clothing from the lower part of the body. In any case, wearing loose clothing is more comfortable in this situation and you can just lift the dress instead of having to remove several layers of clothing.
After you will either change into a gown or remove clothing from lower body, you will be asked to lie down on the covered couch and bend your knees.
What happens during the procedure?
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The transducer or sensor is a device that goes inside your vagina to conduct the ultrasound. Its width is only a few centimeters (the end is thicker than the base) and a length of about 30 cm, but in the vagina the device is inserted not completely. Before inserting the probe covered with a condom and lubricating gel (to make it easier to insert inside of you).
As for what feedback to expect during the study, it can vary depending on who executes it. Ultrasound technicians are usually trained to keep a person indifferent and do not give any information, instead they will pass the survey results to the doctor who will interpret them and tell you. However, some of the techniques in private practice immediately tell patients that all is in order, and if the ultrasound performed by the physician, he can tell you what he sees on the screen. As it depends on the specialist situation, you can discuss with your doctor the details.
During the procedure you may feel pressure but not pain. It is obvious that the presence of any object into the vagina during medical procedures involve some discomfort, but experts note that the sensor typically causes less discomfort than a mirror during a PAP smear. However, if you have a condition that can cause pain in the pelvis, for example, vaginismus or vulvodynia, during this procedure, you may experience pain. If you are worried about pain or feeling it during the ultrasound, be sure to tell your doctor.
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When the device penetrates, the probe sends sound waves that bounce off the structures of your body and transferred to the computer, which creates images of internal organs. Then the specialist who performs ultrasounds, scans these images on the monitor, which you may or may not see. In some offices of the doctor with an additional monitor, allowing you to see everything that happens on the screen, while other clinics do not provide this option.
During the examination, the health worker will be to move the sensor to have a better look at your insides, it can also cause some discomfort.
Transvaginal ultrasound examination usually takes 5 to 45 minutes. The duration of the procedure depends on the reason you appointed an ultrasound. If the specialist is just trying to hear the baby’s heartbeat during pregnancy, the procedure can go very quickly. However, if he’s looking for something like fibroids or other medical conditions, ultrasound may take much more time.
What happens after a transvaginal ultrasound?
Once your ultrasound is complete, the technician or doctor will take out the sensor and out of the room, so you can get dressed. In addition, you will be given wipes to clean the remnants of the gel.
Perhaps immediately after the survey you go to the doctor, who will talk about the results, but in some cases, interpretation may take several days. In this case, you will be sent home. You will not need to make any special procedures upon completion of the ultrasound.
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In General, transvaginal ultrasound is a fairly simple procedure. If you are still worried about how it will happen, be sure to ask your doctor or specialist ultrasound any questions you might have.