Women's health is a fragile crystal vessel that requires special care and attention. It is very important to see a doctor not only when you feel unwell or if something bothers you. Regular preventive examinations are very important and help to avoid many diseases, identify possible risks. Some ailments that are asymptomatic can lead to sad consequences. And using the ultrasound procedure, you can identify the disease in a timely manner or even prevent it.
Why is this examination necessary?
In addition to regular gynecological examinations, an important component of a general health diagnosis is ultrasound of the pelvis in women. This procedure is carried out on the recommendation or direction of a doctor, and a woman can, on her own initiative, seek the advice of a specialist.
Ultrasound of the pelvic organs in women is a comprehensive examination procedure, the main purpose of which is to check the condition of the genitourinary system. What is it for? Should I pay special attention to this procedure? Definitely yes. This is a very important study, thanks to which the doctor can diagnose inflammatory diseases, abnormalities in the development of internal organs.
Some diseases are very insidious, they are asymptomatic, without causing a woman special discomfort. And if you do not take care of yourself and do not care about prevention, these malicious ailments can affect the state of women's health in general. The ultrasound procedure often helps to reveal the villains in advance. And preventive examinations will help maintain the reproductive system in order.
What organs should be examined regularly?
Ultrasound is the main assistant in determining the favorable period for conception. This should be considered for girls planning a pregnancy. In addition to special tests, ultrasound can help establish ovulation.
In addition, pelvic ultrasound reveals pregnancy in the first weeks and allows you to check the condition of the fetus, as well as to diagnose an ectopic pregnancy in time. This is very important, since an ectopic pregnancy can cause irreparable consequences. The fetus is not fixed in the uterus, but in the fallopian tube, increases in size, which can lead to rupture of the fallopian tube. It is impossible to save the fetus in this case. Urgent surgery is required.
Pelvic ultrasound in women is the safest and most informative method of examination. With its help, the doctor determines the presence of neoplasms in the uterus, examines the adjacent space. Normally there should be no free fluid. The specialist also evaluates the thickness and structure of the endometrium, measures the ovaries, sees if the bladder is healthy. Regular examinations guarantee a woman’s health.
Prerequisites for the appointment of ultrasound of the pelvic organs in women
If you care about your health, control well-being, wonderful. In this case, you do not neglect regular preventive procedures and know how important it is to consult a doctor on time.
Unfortunately, many go to the doctor if something starts to seriously bother. The doctor listens to the patient’s complaints, conducts an examination, prescribes tests and, if necessary, ultrasound of the pelvic organs. It is a comprehensive examination that will help to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe the necessary treatment.
The main reasons for which a mandatory ultrasound examination for women is prescribed:
- severe periodic pain in the lower abdomen;
- painful menstruation;
- failure of the menstrual cycle or lack of menstruation;
- unusual discharge or even bleeding;
- the presence of blood in the urine.
It is necessary to conduct examinations during menopause.
Find out where the ailment is hiding
Pelvic ultrasound in women is the main way to declassify insidious diseases.
The doctor diagnoses various neoplasms in the form of cysts, inflammation, changes in the endometrium. If a woman uses an intrauterine contraceptive device (spiral), it is necessary to monitor his condition using ultrasound. It is important not to forget to change the spiral in time to prevent possible complications.
As a preventive measure, you should undergo an ultrasound procedure once a year, unless, of course, you want to maintain female youth and beauty for as long as possible.
If you are in a risk zone and there is a chance that an evil ailment has lurked somewhere, which may loudly declare itself over time, it is advisable to be examined more often and not forget to consult a doctor.
How is the ultrasound procedure performed?
Before making an appointment with a specialist, many are looking for detailed information on how pelvic ultrasound is done in women.
Girls are shy, inspection makes them awkward. But, as they say, warned, it means armed, so you should be familiar with what ultrasound methods exist and what to expect from this procedure.
- Transabdominal ultrasound. During the procedure, the sensor is located on the stomach.
- Transvaginal ultrasound. A special oblong sensor is inserted into the vagina. To conduct this research method, a condom is used, which is worn on the sensor (transducer) and lubricated with gel.
- Obstetric ultrasound (screening) is performed in every trimester of pregnancy. This procedure helps to eliminate possible pathologies in the development of the fetus. With the help of screening, you can monitor the state of blood flow, in some cases diagnose hypoxia. It is carried out transabdominally.
Which method is the most informative?
Thanks to transabdominal ultrasound, you can get information about the general condition of the uterus and appendages. This method does not cause the patient any discomfort, and is also the only option for examining the uterus in virgins (if you need more information, the ultrasound procedure is recommended transrectally).
But transabdominal ultrasound is an imperfect method and, alas, there are disadvantages.
Various factors can complicate the study of the transabdominal method. The presence of adhesions or scars in the abdomen (due to surgical and gynecological operations) can affect image quality. If the patient is overweight in the abdomen, then the pelvic organs will not be visualized clearly.
For this reason, an additional method is used in the complex ultrasound procedure - transvaginal pelvic ultrasound in women. What organs are examined by the doctor using this method and what diseases are diagnosed?
This method of ultrasound is more informative. With its help, you can accurately diagnose pregnancy in the early stages. Transvaginal ultrasound is also painless and safe, sometimes it can cause minimal discomfort.
The procedure is similar to a gynecological examination. The patient undresses below the belt, is located on the couch, the doctor inserts the sensor into the vagina. The procedure should be painless.
Transvaginal ultrasound gives detailed information about the condition of the genitourinary system and the health of the female genital organs, helps to notice inflammation in time. Using this method of examination, you can detect a fetal egg before the delay of menstruation. Also, the doctor can identify abnormalities in the development of the fetus at the initial stage of pregnancy.
Transvaginal ultrasound is not recommended during menstruation and is contraindicated in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. The virginity of the patient is also the reason for the rejection of this procedure.
Ultrasound examination is a complex procedure. Using only one ultrasound method, it is impossible to objectively assess the state of health of the organs under investigation, therefore the doctor uses several methods of ultrasound examination.
Preparation for pelvic ultrasound for women
Any procedure requires prior preparation. This provides for a certain diet and a number of other restrictions. Not an exception and the procedure of ultrasound of the pelvis in women. How to prepare for the procedure correctly?
Each survey method has its own taboos and rules. In order to obtain a reliable result during transabdominal ultrasound, it is necessary to fill the bladder first. Be prepared to drain more than one glass of water and forget about the toilet for a couple of hours.
For transvaginal ultrasound, on the contrary, you must first visit the ladies room. For the procedure, empty urine is required.
It is very important to cleanse your bowels in advance. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe a cleansing enema.
A comprehensive ultrasound procedure often starts transabdominally, so when preparing for the procedure, follow the rules of this method. Later, it will be necessary to empty the bladder (the doctor will offer to go to the toilet) in order to proceed to the second part of the procedure - transvaginal ultrasound.
Starting from the second trimester of pregnancy, an ultrasound scan is carried out only transabdominally and does not require special preparation, since the condition of the fetus is evaluated first.
General rules for preparing for ultrasound
Despite the fact that there are certain rules for preparing for each method of ultrasound, there are general points. An ultrasound procedure is always performed on an empty stomach, with the exception of emergency cases.
2-3 days before the ultrasound, you must adhere to a special diet. Exclude from the diet foods that can cause increased gas formation. Do not eat dairy and sour-milk products, fresh vegetables, fruits, sauerkraut, pastries and pastries, as well as legumes. These recommendations apply to the preparation of abdominal ultrasound. Allowed porridge on the water, boiled meat and fish.
Alcohol on the eve of an ultrasound
Before the ultrasound procedure, it is not recommended to drink carbonated drinks and alcohol. But if it happened that the day before you had to drink alcohol, do not worry. A small amount of alcohol will not have a strong effect on the test result. But this does not mean that you can relax and get drunk before the ultrasound procedure.
An ultrasound study evaluates only the external condition of the internal organs and does not make it possible to assess the effect of alcohol on the body. Except in cases of excessive alcohol abuse, when the pathology of the development of internal organs may be noticeable.
A glass of wine or beer drunk on the eve of the procedure will slightly affect the state of the blood vessels.
special instructions
Espumisan or activated carbon will help to cope with increased gas formation and flatulence. It is worth taking care of this in advance, if there is a predisposition to these ailments, take medications before the ultrasound procedure.
It is also worth considering that a drug such as barium affects the results of ultrasound. The patient should inform the doctor about the procedures performed the day before, if a few days before the ultrasound scan was performed using barium, the procedure must be rescheduled. Otherwise, the results will be unreliable.
How to choose the day for the procedure?
It is necessary to take into account the days of the individual menstrual cycle when performing pelvic ultrasound in women. The day of the procedure is usually prescribed by a gynecologist, depending on what result is needed in the process.
To calculate the estimated day of ovulation, it is necessary to conduct an examination in the first days of the female cycle. Girls planning a pregnancy should consider this point.
The period from 5 to 8 days of the cycle is favorable for gynecological ultrasound. It is in this segment of the cycle that any deviations from the norm are noticeable, and the general picture of the state of health of the organs of the genitourinary system is also visible. It is likely to identify possible risks of developing inflammatory diseases. What does pelvic ultrasound show in women?
It should be noted that using this method of examination, it is possible to diagnose only inflammatory diseases of the genital area, and not infectious at all. Therefore, in order to get a complete picture about the health of the genitourinary system, to find out about the presence of infections, you should take care of the tests.
In the early days of the female cycle, polycystosis can be diagnosed. The doctor makes this diagnosis based on the ratio of the size of the uterus and ovaries.
Cervical erosion is also diagnosed at the beginning of the cycle. Erosion can also be detected with a routine gynecological examination. On the image of the ultrasound, the inflammatory process of the cervix will be noticeable.
Immediately after menstruation, the diagnosis of uterine fibroids can be confirmed or excluded.
Gynecological ultrasound in the second half of the menstrual cycle will help to identify the development of endometriosis.
To obtain information about the development and timely maturation of follicles, ultrasound is performed several times during the cycle. This information is used to determine physiologically normal and anovulatory cycles (when the chances of getting pregnant are significantly reduced).
Any spotting, bleeding that is not menstruation are indications for immediate ultrasound and subsequent hospitalization.
Ultrasound Results
In conclusion of the pelvic ultrasound procedure in women, the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis based on the assessment of the received image. During the procedure, the doctor fixes the size of the internal organs, their position and structure.
In conclusion, the size of the uterus, its position, contours and echostructure are recorded, and the state of the myometrium (muscle wall of the uterus) is also evaluated.
The doctor describes the thickness of the endometrium and fallopian tubes.
Be sure to indicate the size of the ovaries.
It is important to monitor the condition of the veins of the small pelvis.
If there are neoplasms on the uterus or ovaries, this is indicated in the conclusion.
Any deviations from the norm are recorded. If the ovaries are enlarged, and the uterus is reduced in size - this may indicate polycystic. Violation of the structure and thickness of the endometrium indicates a possible endometritis, and an increase in the echogenicity of the myometrium may indicate myoma or endometriosis. Inflammation of cervical cells is a sign of erosion.
On the ultrasound machine, the doctor can notice the fetal heartbeat from 5-6 weeks of pregnancy. If spotting is observed during pregnancy - this may indicate placental abruption, this will also be visible during the ultrasound procedure.
But only a specialist can make a final diagnosis. A written opinion is issued to the patient, images are attached. If necessary, the doctor sends for consultation to a narrow specialist, usually a gynecologist, who, based on the results, announces the final diagnosis and prescribes treatment, if necessary.
Be mindful of your health. Regular preventive examinations will help to avoid serious diseases and identify insidious asymptomatic ailments. Be healthy.