For a basic examination of the state of women's he alth, the patient is first prescribed an ultrasound of the pelvic organs. Today it is one of the most affordable and highly effective diagnostic methods. Every girl and woman should know that ultrasound of the pelvic organs includes not only the dynamics of pregnancy, but also diagnostics for abnormalities in the urinary and reproductive systems.
Ultrasound can be used to examine the following organs in detail:
- uterine body and extrauterine space;
- fallopian tubes (another name is fallopian tubes);
- cervix;
- left and right ovary;
- bladder;
- intestines.
Ultrasound is absolutely safe for human he alth and does not bring any pain to the patient during the procedure. Also, an undoubted advantage is that before an ultrasound of the pelvic organs in women, preparation does not require much effort. The type of diagnostics performed depends on the patient's condition, indications and the purpose of the examination. A well-chosen ultrasound of the pelvic organs shows what was the root causedevelopment of a woman's disease or discomfort.
Transvaginal ultrasound
The method is the most popular and highly accurate. It is prescribed to absolutely all representatives of the weaker sex who live sexually. Its essence lies in the introduction of an ultrasound sensor of the diagnostic apparatus to a woman in the vagina, which allows you to study in detail the structure and size of the organs. Transvaginal ultrasound allows you to get as close as possible to the anatomical structures under study.
List of indications for transvaginal ultrasound:
- preventive examination;
- control over the state of the ovaries while taking oral hormonal contraceptives;
- long delay in menstruation;
- diagnosis and dynamics of pregnancy;
- irregular menstrual cycle;
- sharp pain in the lower abdomen;
- suspected inflammation during examination by a gynecologist;
- infertility.
An exception to the procedure is situations when a threatened abortion is diagnosed.
Transabdominal examination
Transabdominal ultrasound of the pelvic organs in women is the second most informative and popular method, after transvaginal. Diagnosis is carried out externally, through the anterior abdominal wall of the patient. The ultrasonic sensor of the device is driven along the lower abdomen. The only preparation for an ultrasound of the pelvic organs in women is a filled bladder. To do this, about an hour before the ultrasound, you need to drinkabout 1 liter of purified water.
Transabdominal examination is used in the following cases:
- fetal development dynamics from week 12;
- prolonged uterine bleeding;
- long periods;
- irregular menstrual cycle;
- examination of girls who have never had sex before;
- not being able to conceive.
The advantage of the procedure is that transabdominal ultrasound of the pelvic organs is a complete absence of restrictions.
Combined gynecological ultrasound
With a similar examination, ultrasound of the pelvic organs is done both by the transabdominal method and transvaginally, respectively. The second study is performed immediately after the first, after emptying the bladder.
Indications for the combined method:
- early pregnancy diagnosis;
- detection of a wide range of gynecological pathological processes.
A distinctive feature and at the same time the advantage of the presented method is the detection of an ectopic pregnancy already in the first weeks.
Combined ultrasound diagnostics is not performed on the days of menstruation and virgins. These are the main contraindications, but it is worth noting that they do not include uterine bleeding.
Transrectal Diagnosis
Transrectal ultrasound is one of the types of ultrasound diagnostics, when a high-frequency sensor of the diagnostic device is inserted into the anusfemale patients. The method is effectively used not only for the purpose of conducting a study of the organs of the reproductive system, but also for assessing the condition of the intestine. Currently the most effective cancer diagnostic.
Usually, a transrectal ultrasound procedure is performed in the morning. To undergo transrectal diagnosis, it is necessary to cleanse the intestines in advance with laxatives or enemas.
When to research
The most favorable moment for ultrasound of the pelvic organs is individual for each woman and directly depends on the indications for the examination. Therefore, ultrasound is performed on certain days of the cycle.
Exceptions are situations:
- uterine bleeding;
- heavy periods;
- threatened miscarriage;
- pain in the lower abdomen.
In these cases, the patient immediately undergoes an ultrasound of the pelvic organs.
Prevention
If the examination is of a preventive nature, then the most informative procedure will be in the first phase of the menstrual cycle, carried out from 5 to 7 days. This is the period when the endometrium in the uterine cavity is thin and does not impede examination. The structure of the reproductive organs is especially clearly visible, and it is much easier to diagnose the presence of gynecological diseases. If an ultrasound is performed during or after ovulation, the structure of the uterus becomes loose and this greatly complicates the study. An ultrasound doctor may not see neoplasms in the early stagesdevelopment. If an ultrasound of the pelvic organs shows that there is inflammation, an urgent visit to the gynecologist is necessary.
Planning pregnancy or IVF
When planning pregnancy or preparing for in vitro fertilization, ultrasound is prescribed for 2-4 days of the cycle, to count the number of follicles in the ovaries.
Folliculometry
To determine the day of ovulation, they monitor the work of the ovaries using ultrasound, keeping the maturation of the follicle under observation. This process is called folliculometry. For a more accurate clinical picture, the procedure is carried out three times at intervals of several days, during the 1st menstrual cycle. Each study is scheduled for a specific day:
- The first ultrasound is performed on the 4-5th day of menstruation or no later than 10 days from the start of a new cycle.
- The following procedure is scheduled for 11-15 days of the cycle.
- For the third final ultrasound of the pelvic organs, the day of the cycle is chosen in the second phase, presumably 5 days before the onset of the next period.
Pregnancy Diagnosis
Modern methods of ultrasound of the pelvic organs provide a real opportunity to establish pregnancy at the earliest possible date, as well as to exclude its pathological development, for example, a frozen or ectopic pregnancy at 6-9 weeks of the study. If you do an ultrasound between 3 and 4 weeks after conception, you can establish the presence of an oval-shaped fetal egg in the uterine cavity, which will confirm the presence of pregnancy. The heart rate of the embryo today can behear from 4 weeks. At the 6th week of pregnancy, ultrasound allows you to determine the number of fetal eggs.
When bleeding occurs and placental abruption is suspected, ultrasound is performed at 3-5 weeks.
Gynecologists recommend not delaying ultrasound at the first suspicion of pregnancy.
Fetal Development Stages
Ultrasound diagnostics makes it possible to track the intrauterine development of the fetus and detect deviations in time. The first planned ultrasound during pregnancy is carried out in the first trimester at 10-13 weeks to assess the development of the fetus and the thickness of the collar zone, in order to exclude Down's disease in the unborn child. The next scheduled ultrasound scans in the second and third trimesters at 20-23 and 31-32 weeks, respectively, are a prerequisite for all expectant mothers. The last ultrasound is necessary to plan the upcoming birth, clarify the position of the fetus, determine whether the birth will take place naturally or the woman will have a planned caesarean section.
Irregular menstrual cycle - delayed or absent periods
If the gynecologist during the examination ruled out pregnancy in a woman, then it is necessary to identify the reason for the absence of menstruation using ultrasound. Often, the root cause of delayed menstruation is cysts of a different nature or polycystic ovaries, the nature of which is clearly visible on the hardware. It is allowed to undergo an ultrasound in the absence of menstruation on any day, regardless of the alleged reasons.
Inflammatory processes in the pelvic organs
After an abortion or other surgical intervention, a follow-up ultrasound diagnostic examination is required. Certain days for its implementation are not set - diagnosis is possible at any time. If inflammatory processes are suspected, ultrasound is performed in the same way, on any day of the cycle.
Ovarian pathology
Active work of the ovaries in the formation of follicles occurs in the middle of the menstrual cycle, approximately 9-16 days. On which day of ultrasound of the pelvic organs it is better to perform, the gynecologist will tell you, based on the duration of the menstrual cycle of each woman individually.
Myoma
If a pathology called uterine fibroids is suspected, the study is carried out immediately, as soon as menstruation ends, on days 4-6 of the cycle.
To monitor the dynamics of ultrasound, it is carried out on any day, except for menstruation. However, with submucosal fibroids, it is advisable to undergo the procedure on days 18-25 of the menstrual cycle, when the endometrium is hyperechoic and thick enough.
Endometriosis
Accurate results for suspected endometriosis can be obtained by undergoing an ultrasound in the second phase of the menstrual cycle, presumably 16-22 days or later. At this time, the structure of the endometrium thickens, the alleged cysts swell and pathological areas increase.
Examination of the urinary tract and intestines
Ultrasound examination of the bladder is performed transvaginally for all women, including pregnant women up to 12weeks. In the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, ultrasound of the ureter is performed transabdominally. You can choose any day for the study, preferably not during menstruation. Therefore, there are no restrictions for women during pregnancy. An examination of the intestine is carried out on any day, if desired.
Regular ultrasound examination of the pelvic organs will help girls and women to diagnose gynecological diseases in a timely manner and avoid serious he alth complications in the future.
