How is ultrasound of the pelvis done?

The need for ultrasonic diagnosis of pelvic organs may occur in different situations. Many women who are not yet familiar with this procedure are very worried and believe that it can cause painful and uncomfortable sensations. In this article, we will try to understand how ultrasound of the pelvic organs is done, and what the patient can feel during this procedure.

How is ultrasound of the pelvis performed in women?

Ultrasound of the pelvis in women is carried out in such ways as transvaginal and transabdominal. In the first case, the patient must completely undress, from the waist down and down, and lie down on the couch, bending both legs in the knees. After this, the doctor introduces into the vagina of a girl or woman a special transducer, whose diameter is about 3 centimeters.

Before use, the device must always wear a disposable condom for transvaginal ultrasound in order to observe the necessary hygiene measures, and then apply a small amount of a special gel designed to improve the conductivity of the sound wave.

Transabdominal ultrasound diagnosis is carried out through the external surface of the abdomen, so the patient does not have to undress completely. It is convenient enough to sit on the couch and expose the lower part of the abdomen, after which the diagnostician will apply to this area of ​​the body a special sensor with a gel applied to it.

In both of these cases, the doctor carefully moves the transducer or sensor in the desired direction, lightly pressing the abdomen or inner surface of the vagina. In this case, the doctor will see all the data received on the screen, and on the basis of this image will evaluate the result, make the necessary conclusions and establish a diagnosis.

Ultrasound of the small pelvis, conducted by a transabdominal sensor, is absolutely painless. Minor discomfort can occur only when the patient has inflammatory diseases in an acute form. When a transducer is inserted into the vagina, most girls also do not experience severe pain or discomfort, but some patients note that it was very unpleasant for them to experience it themselves.

How to prepare for a pelvic ultrasound in gynecology?

Women who are going to have ultrasound of a small pelvis, have questions not only about how this procedure is carried out, but also how to properly prepare for it. To obtain more accurate and truthful results it is necessary to follow certain recommendations, in particular:

• 3-4 days before the ultrasound examination, do not resort to x-ray diagnostics with the use of barium. Otherwise, ultrasound should be postponed, because barium can significantly distort the results;
• 2-3 days before the procedure, you should make changes in the diet - exclude alcoholic and sour-milk drinks, vegetables that contain in their composition coarse fiber, legumes and yeast bread;
• directly on the day of ultrasound, the bowel must be emptied in any way;
• Finally, if the study is performed in a transvaginal fashion , the bladder should also be emptied. If the doctor uses a transabdominal sensor, on the contrary, you should drink 2-3 glasses of water half an hour before the procedure.