Has anybody ever had a ovarian ultrasound what happens what can it show

[lostittoday]

Hi
I am due to have a ultrasound on the ovaries this week due to irregular menses.
The main reason is to check for polycystic ovaries.
However I was just wondering is there anything else they will be able to check by doing this scan.
Will it show whether I ovulate or not.

Will they share what they see on the scan with me there and then or will they simply just send a letter off to my gp.
Will I be able to ask any questions.
Sorry all stupid questions I know but was just wondering.
Also and this may sound like the most stupid question of all, but if there was a chance I was pregnant, even if in the very first stages, would they know by looking at the scan.

[wiredtothemoon]

Hi,
When they look for polycystic ovaries they are looking for lots of little cysts on the ovaries which can help to confirm the diagnosis,if they see them also means there is a chance you aren't ovulating properly.You can however have the cysts present but still also ovulate ok,the best way to check for ovulation is to do blood tests at certain times in the cycle.
Sometimes an ultrasonographer will say what he/she sees but often result just goes to gp,same goes for asking questions depending on how experienced or confident they are they may be happy to answer queries.
They would probably be able to tell if you were 6 weeks or more pregnant.
HTH

[Lomond]

Hi, my first ovarian ultrasound was to check for PCOS. They diagnosed me there and then with PCOS.

I went for a second one when we were thinking about baby number 2 and they found I was already pregnant. (Not expected as DD1 was a Clomid baby)

I think whether or not they tell you what they have found depends on who does your scan. My sister didn't get told her results and had to wait for them to be forwarded to her GP. She is in Herts, I am in Scotland.

[Lomond]

Oh and I was only 4 or 5 weeks pregnant.

[lostittoday]

Okay thanks for that.
Going a bit mad here with irregular AF and negative pregnancy tests.
I am now on cd 60 with nothing however I only tested up until cd 42.
Have decided to not test again as it was turning me into a loony to keep seeing a BFN.

I went throught he truama of repeated bfn's last year when I had a 3 months absence it was horrendous and I don't want to go through it again.

So here you are talking to a loony who thinks that the ultrasonographer is going to turn around and say hey you are pregnant.
In my dreams though.

[wiredtothemoon]

How long have you been ttc?
I saw your other post about the timing of blood tests,if your cycle is totally erratic then difficult to do the progesterone test to check for ovulation,needs to be done 7 days before your period which in most peoples cycles is about day 21.
Some of the hormone tests can be done at other times and also you can tell some things looking back at the tests after your period comes if that makes sense.
Are you just seeing gp or have you seen specialist at all?

[pixsix]

I had an ultrasound last year to check for suspected PCOS due to irregular peiods and because I had had a blood test which showed a hormone imbalance.

The sonographer kept the screen turned away from me but told me that she could not see the cysts she would expect if I had PCOS. She also said that she could see eggs of different sizes which suggested I was ovulating. I think that's as much as they can tell you about ovulation.

I then went back to my GP to hear the full results and to have the blood test repeated. This time, no hormonal imbalance, so the GP thinks I don't have PCOS.

Not sure if this helps you but good luck with your diagnosis.

[lostittoday]

Hi
wiredtothemoon
I have been ttc for 8 months now.
As I mentioned I have already had some hormone tests done and progesterone was okay.

Thyroid function was checked as well which revealed a underactive thyroid.
This is now under control.
Atm I am just seeing my gp.
Is progesterone the hormone that does tell you if you ovulate then.
I have to be honest my gp seems quite vague on all of this.
I have asked about a referral and she was not that forthcoming saying that she wants to carry out another set of hormone tests first.
She says that these ones will also be checking my estrogen levels which were not done last time.
I am 37 years of age so I don,t want her to drag her feet.

[ohjoy]

Hi Lotittoday, i would strongly suggest that you see another GP and get a referral to a gynae. i would not want to waste time, iykwim.

progesterone taken at dy21 is the one that will tell you if an egg was released. dy21 assumes you have a 28 day cycle.

sounds like your cycle is quite complicated that is why i suggest you see a gynae. any chance of you going private? much quicker and better service.

[wiredtothemoon]

I agree with ohjoy,esp as sometimes there can be a wait for hosp appts.The hormone tests are pretty difficult to interpret and a gynae with interest in pcos/infertility would be best.A lot of hospitals have a time limit for referral for infertility,can be that you are supposed to try for 12 to 18 months. You however have symptoms that it would be perfectly reasonable to refer you with just now.
I know it's difficult but I would insist on being referred just now cos I think you would benefit from specialist input whatever your hormones show.
The other thing it may be worth doing is getting your dp/dh to investigate getting semen analysis done,it is something the specialists would want so to have it done before seeing them can speed things up.

[lostittoday]

Yes I agree I need to be pushing for a referral at this stage.

I have seen the nurse this morning for more hormone tests.
The results of these should be back in about a week.
Also I am having the ultrasound done on thursday.
Once I get the outcome of these tests I will be seeing my gp and pushing for a referral regardless of what the results say.

After all is it not true that if your over 35 you can be seen after 6 months.
I am starting to feel a bit annoyed with myself as I am now wondering if I have wasted time with my gp.

And how about this sorry but this will probably sound gross.
Got back from the doctors this morning and after 60 days of nothing I started having quite heavy sudden brown discharge.
Sorry to be so graphic, but it seems to have stopped now so what is that all about then.
I am waitng to see if it develops into a proper AF.
I really don,t know what is going on atm.

[HeadFairy]

I had an ultrasound to test for pcos (negative in my case, I'm just fat and spotty !) it was an internal scan with a probe. Very quick and easy. The sonographer could see an empty folicle as I'd ov'd the day before.

[beaniesteve]

sorry to hijack...

Ooh - this is interesting. I am having a scan on 27 May (Which will be 4 months since I first went to the doctors!) to check there's nothing wrong with me since getting a swollen node in my groin area in January(it's still there). Am wondering - can I ask the person doing it to have a look what else might be going on in there or will they just be looking for one thing?

[wiredtothemoon]

lostit, if doesn't develop into af then may be worth doing a preg test just to make sure. Otherwise bits of brown bleeding can be fairly common esp if long/irreg cycle. Is another thing to mention and another reason to support being referred to gyn. If continue to bleed/brown d/c between periods will also need to be looked into.
It does take the body a while to get back to normal after having thyroid probs even if thyroid blood tests now normal so this may have a lot to do with it. Easy to say but try not to worry too much but get the ball rolling to get seen by specialist.
beanie,
if they are doing a pelvic scan to check lymph node they should look at averything,tubes ovaries and uterus also prob kidneys and stuff also.

[mumfor1standmaybe2ndtime]

I had an ultrasound after having few probs after my c section with ds. I didn't have enough to drink - make sure you do!- and so I had to have an internal 'camera'. I could see my ovaries on the screen (which is weird!). I was told what they looked like and what was going on all the time, so ask away with questions - I did.

[MrsTittleMouse]

I automatically had the internal ultrasound. They were very gentle and respectful and it really didn't bother me, although I found it quite funny that they put a condom on the probe. They were able to check where I was in my cycle and that I was ovulating properly and in time with my uterus producing enough lining.
It's really hard to see an early pregnancy. I had one to check the pregnancy after I'd had a BFP following treatment, and even with the internal probe I had to wait until I was 6 or 7 weeks.

[sarah76]

I had an internal ultrasound to check for a fibroid as my GP thought she felt one. No fibroids seen, but they FINALLY confirmed what I've known for ages, that I have PCOS! My ovaries were 1.5 to 3 times bigger than normal and they had the classic polycystic appearance. The ultrasound technician also wrote that I have a possible bicornuate uterus. One bloody problem at a time, please. . .

[lostittoday]

Just another question.
Can they tell if your ovaries are functioning properly, that ovulation is occuring or has happened.
Can they tell this on a ultrasound.

[Lomond]

I am no expert lost but I think they would have to do blood tests at certain times of your cycle. That is unless there was a very obvious problem that showed up on the scan.

[sarah76]

It depends when they do the ultrasound, they might be able to see follicles forming and such, but I think accurately timed blood tests and temping would be better for letting you know about ovulation.