Women's he alth 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 something is bothering you. Regular preventive examinations are very important and help to avoid many diseases and identify possible risks. Some ailments that are asymptomatic can lead to sad consequences. And with the help of the ultrasound procedure, you can detect the disease in a timely manner or even prevent it.
Why is this examination needed?
In addition to regular gynecological examinations, an important component of general he alth diagnostics is pelvic ultrasound in women. This procedure is carried out on the recommendation or referral of a doctor, and a woman may, on her own initiative, seek advice from 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? Is it worth paying special attention to this procedure? Definitely yes. This is a very important studythanks to which the doctor can diagnose inflammatory diseases, anomalies in the development of internal organs.
Some diseases are very insidious, they are asymptomatic, without causing a woman much 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 he alth in general. The ultrasound procedure often helps to reveal the villains in advance. And preventive examinations will help keep the reproductive system in order.
Which organs should be examined regularly?
Ultrasound is the main assistant in determining the favorable period for conception. This should be considered by girls planning a pregnancy. In addition to special tests, ultrasound will help to establish ovulation.
In addition, pelvic ultrasound detects pregnancy in the first weeks and allows you to check the condition of the fetus, as well as diagnose ectopic pregnancy in time. This is very important, as an ectopic pregnancy can cause irreparable consequences. The fetus is fixed not 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 required.
Ultrasound of the small pelvis 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 retrouterine space. Normally, there should be no free fluid. The specialist also evaluates the thicknessand the structure of the endometrium, measures the ovaries, sees if the bladder is he althy. Regular examinations guarantee a woman's he alth.
Prerequisites for prescribing pelvic ultrasound in women
If you care about your he alth, control your well-being, great. In this case, you do not neglect regular preventive procedures and know how important it is to consult a doctor in 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 why a mandatory ultrasound examination for women is prescribed:
- severe periodic pain in the lower abdomen;
- painful periods;
- menstrual cycle failure or lack of menstruation;
- unusual discharge or even bleeding;
- presence of blood in urine.
Menopausal screenings are also needed.
Find out where the disease is hiding
Ultrasound of the small pelvis 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 its condition using ultrasound. It is important not to forgetchange the spiral to prevent possible complications.
As a preventive measure, you should have an ultrasound procedure once a year, unless, of course, you want to preserve female youth and beauty for as long as possible.
If you are at risk and there is a possibility that an evil ailment lurks somewhere, which may loudly declare itself over time, it is advisable to be examined more often and do not forget to consult a doctor.
How an ultrasound is performed
Before making an appointment with a specialist, many are looking for detailed information on how a pelvic ultrasound is done in women.
Girls are shy, the inspection makes them feel awkward. But, as they say, forewarned is forearmed, so you should familiarize yourself in advance with what ultrasound methods exist and what to expect from this procedure.
- Transabdominal ultrasound. During the procedure, the sensor is placed on the abdomen.
- Transvaginal ultrasound. A special oblong probe is inserted into the vagina. To conduct this research method, a condom is used, which is put on the sensor (transducer) and lubricated with gel.
- Obstetric ultrasound (screening) is performed in each trimester of pregnancy. This procedure helps to exclude possible pathologies in the development of the fetus. With the help of screening, it is possible to control the state of blood flow, in some cases, to diagnose hypoxia. Performed transabdominally.
Which way is the most informative?
Thanks to transabdominal ultrasound, it is possible toget information about the general condition of the uterus and appendages. This method does not cause any discomfort to the patient, and is also the only option for examining the uterus in virgins (if you need more information, transrectal ultrasound is recommended).
But transabdominal ultrasound is not perfect and, alas, there are drawbacks.
Various factors can make it difficult to conduct a transabdominal examination. The presence of adhesions or scarring 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 ultrasound of the small pelvis in women. What organs does the doctor examine using this method and what diseases does he diagnose?
This method of ultrasound is more informative. With it, you can accurately diagnose pregnancy in the early stages. A transvaginal ultrasound is also painless and safe, and can sometimes cause minimal discomfort.
The procedure is similar to a gynecological exam. The patient undresses below the waist, is located on the couch, the doctor inserts the sensor into the vagina. The procedure should be painless.
Transvaginal ultrasound provides detailed information about the state of the genitourinary system and the he alth of the female genital organs, helpsnotice inflammation in time. Using this method of examination, you can detect a fetal egg even before a delay in 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 a reason for the refusal of this procedure.
Ultrasound is a complex procedure. Using only one ultrasound method, it is impossible to objectively assess the state of he alth of the examined organs, so the doctor uses several methods of ultrasound examination.
Preparation for pelvic ultrasound for women
Any procedure requires preliminary preparation. This involves a certain diet and a number of other restrictions. The pelvic ultrasound procedure in women is no exception. How to prepare for the procedure correctly?
Each examination method has its own taboos and rules. 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 a transvaginal ultrasound, on the contrary, you must first visit the ladies' room. An empty bladder is required for the procedure.
It is very important to cleanse the intestines in advance. If necessary, the doctor may prescribe a cleansing enema.
Complex ultrasound procedures often begin transabdominally, so in preparation for the procedurefollow the rules of this method. Later, you will need to empty your bladder (the doctor will offer to go to the toilet) in order to proceed with the second part of the procedure - transvaginal ultrasound.
Starting from the second trimester of pregnancy, ultrasound is performed only transabdominally and does not require special preparation, since the condition of the fetus is assessed first of all.
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. The ultrasound procedure is always performed on an empty stomach, except in emergency cases.
2-3 days before the ultrasound, you must follow a special diet. Eliminate foods that can provoke increased gas formation from the diet. You should not eat dairy and sour-milk products, fresh vegetables, fruits, sauerkraut, pastries and pastries, as well as legumes. These recommendations also apply to the preparation for an abdominal ultrasound. Allowed porridge on the water, boiled meat and fish.
Alcohol before ultrasound
Before the ultrasound examination, it is not recommended to consume carbonated drinks and alcohol. But if it so happened that the day before you had a chance 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.
Ultrasound examinationevaluates only the external state of the internal organs and does not make it possible to assess the effect of alcohol on the body. With the exception of cases of excessive alcohol abuse, when the pathology of the development of internal organs can be noticeable.
Drinking a glass of wine or beer on the eve of the procedure will slightly affect the condition of the blood vessels.
Special Instructions
Espumizan or activated charcoal 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 medication 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 an x-ray using barium was performed a few days before the ultrasound, the procedure must be rescheduled. Otherwise, the results will be unreliable.
How to choose the right 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 appointed by the 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 pregnancy should take this into account.
The period from 5th to 8th day 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 it is also visiblegeneral picture of the state of he alth of the organs of the genitourinary system. There is a high probability of identifying possible risks of developing inflammatory diseases. What does a pelvic ultrasound show in women?
It should be noted that using this method of examination, only inflammatory diseases of the genital area can be diagnosed, and not infectious ones. Therefore, in order to get a complete picture of the he alth of the genitourinary system, to find out about the presence of infections, you should also take care of the tests.
In the first days of the female cycle, polycystic disease 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 during a routine gynecological examination. An inflammatory process of the cervix will be noticeable on the ultrasound image.
Immediately at the end of menstruation, you can confirm or exclude the diagnosis of uterine fibroids.
Gynecological ultrasound in the second half of the menstrual cycle will help detect 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 is an indication for immediate ultrasound and subsequent hospitalization.
Ultrasound results
At the end of the pelvic ultrasound procedure in women, the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis based on the assessmentreceived 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, the condition of the myometrium (the muscular wall of the uterus) is also assessed.
Doctor describes the thickness of the endometrium and fallopian tubes.
The size of the ovaries must be indicated.
It is important to control the condition of the pelvic veins.
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 disease. Violation of the structure and thickness of the endometrium indicates a possible endometritis, and an increase in the echogenicity of the myometrium may indicate fibroids or endometriosis. Inflammation of the cells of the cervix is a sign of the development of erosion.
On the ultrasound machine, the doctor can notice the fetal heartbeat from 5-6 weeks of pregnancy. If spotting occurs 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. The patient is given a written opinion, images are attached. If necessary, the doctor refers to a consultation with a specialist, usually a gynecologist, who, based on the results, announces the final diagnosis and prescribes treatment, if necessary.
Be attentive to your he alth. Regular preventiveexaminations will help to avoid serious diseases and to identify insidious asymptomatic ailments. Stay he althy.
