anyone had a scan before to see 'whats going on down there?'

[littleladylollipop]

does it hurt? i'm having one in 2 weeks (been waiting for it forever!) My hormone levels came back fine in the blood tests but ive only had one normal period in 6 months. Came of the pill end of may.

Help?

Do you mean a trans vaginal/internal scan? Have had a couple, while they are not the most pleasant things in the world there are worse things! No disimilar to a smear really.

Agree with LaylaandSethsmum - TV scan for the same reason as yourself. It was mildly uncomfortable but nothing bad at all. Good luck.

I had a TV scan and it wasn't half as bad as I thought it would be. I've had lots of smears before and always find them painful but with the scan she litterally popped it just inside my vagina not up high poking around my cervix. It wasn't nice obviously I couldn't say I enjoyed it but I also wouldn't say it was uncomfotable or painful.

Don't get your hopes up too much about what they'll tell you. My one they said they couldn't see anything but I had endo and adnemyosis confirmed by laparoscopy last year. Depending on what your problem is depends on what they may or may not see.

Good luck hope it goes well for you x

thanks- im remaining hopeful that evrything is ok and that its all a side effect of being on the pill for 16 years. funny how you spend years trying not get pregnant then when you want to it doesnt just happen.

i'm also sooooooooo spotty- this has never happened before. I'm happy to say ive always had lovely skin, and now its spot city!!

Hormones?

Anniemac- whats your history? pill? TTC for long?

wow- sounds like a good doc. Ive been seeing this lovely new lady doc at my surgery who recomended all these tests but the scan i had to wait for 3 months for. I guess in the grand scheme of things its not that long a wait. I'm just so impatient.

i'm useless at being examined too- had some bad experiences hence the worry about the scan.

doc says they will see if anythings wrong, so all my hopes are that everything will be fine and its just a hormonal problem. i say just a hormonal- no idea how that will be sorted. more pills i guess. oh if only it were al so simple.

I had one - it was a bit painful but not too bad. Tbh I think it was pretty unnecessary in my particular situation (to do with a pregnancy). Hope it goes ok for you.

LittleLady, what you described (no period for months after stopping the pill and loads of spots) sounds like what happened to a friend of mine and she was then diagnosed with PCOS. Have you noticed anything else different? My friend put on weight and complained that her hair was more greasy that previously too.

littleladylollipop

I would say that the pill is not responsible for failure to ovulate. There is no evidence to suggest this. Your problem is likely to be caused by hormonal imbalances that have always been there; the pill has just served to mask the symptoms of the underlying problem.

Polycystic ovaries may be the underlying reason in your case why your periods are irregular and why you have also developed spots. Again the pill has anti androgenic properties and that keeps the spots at bay.

I would ask whether the levels of LH and FSH were tested and compared with regards to your blood test. If this was not done the test is meaningless as the levels can look okay if looked at separately. Thus comparison is essential.

Some docs would not recognise PCO if they were presented with a clear case of it.

The TVS should not be painful at all; basically a small phallic like probe is inserted into your vaginal cavity. This will inspect the state of your vaginal cavity and ovaries.

I would ask the person doing the scan to explain what can be seen on screen.

littleladylollipop. I tried for over 12 months before conceiving DS1 and blame taking the pill for 10 years entirely (although you are told that this is not the case by everyone!).

I eventually fell pregnants whilst in the midst of tests.

I never took the pill again and fell pregnant first time with DS2 - which further endorsed my theory.

I have not ruled out having a third child and refuse to use any form of pill or hormonal contraception until I have decided I am having no more children!

Good luck with your tests by the way. Ultrasound doesnt hurt - the worst thing is drinking all the water and not being able to have a wee - to make it worse the sonographer presses hard on your bladder! Enjoy!

I've had dozens of internal scans through 2 years of investigations and treatment before finally conceiving, then had a few more since DD was born to investigate ongoing problems caused by PCOS. Like all the others say, they don't hurt, although it can be a little uncomfortable if they press in a particular area to get a clearer image.

You actually need an empty bladder for an internal scan - it only needs to be full if it's an external scan. Make sure you get to have a look at the screen - it's fascinating seeing what is going on in there! Also helps you to understand better what, if anything, they find.

TV stands for Trans Vaginal - its still ultrasound, but as the name suggests, it's done through the vagina. If you're having the scan to investigate potential fertility issues, then it is more than likely that it will be done internally. They may start with an external scan but if they can't see much, will switch to internal pretty quickly. It's also common to use an internal probe in the early stages of pregnancy. HTH.

thanks everyone- attilla- levels were tested yes- and all ok which would suggest its not pcos (but there is still a chance) I'm not overweight, my hair isnt greasy either, its just spot city on my forehead.

oh boy- what a palava!

Can you recall what the levels tested were?.

PCOS is a very individualistic disorder and affects each woman with it very differently. Such women are not all overweight with hirsuitism (hair problems) and spots.

PCO is slightly different to PCOS - PCO is the cystic follicles on the ovaries. These can and do disappear - only to be replaced vy further cystic follicles.

I was diagnosed with PCOS on the basis of my irregular periods and bloodwork.