anyone had a transvaginal ultrasound?

[thinkimgoingtobesick]

I am due to have one very soon, and naively thought it was just a regular ultrasound. Pretty shit-scared to be honest as last smear test was extremely painful - down to a "ragged and torn cervix- which is normal after childbirth" apparently (thank you nurse, feel so much better now, not)
Can anyone tell me if it's painful? How long it lasts? why the hell it's necessary when they could just do a regular ultrasound????

[kreecherlivesupstairs]

I had several. The first was when we were TTC and investigating why I couldn't. The consultant was brilliant. He saw the look on my face and told me not to worry, not all of it goes in.

[mnistooaddictive]

I've had loads and as everyone says they are fine. They don't do that 'cranking you open with a vice' thing they do with smear tests. It will be ok!

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

I had one for my PCOS. Don't do what I did and eat a bag of pea pods the day before. The ultrasound woman showed me all the pumps swirling around inside!

[RedRosie]

I've had several of these.

While I wouldn't say I enjoy them - that would be wierd - they are nothing to worry about. And for me in any case, much less uncomfortable than a smear test.

Be warned though ... They can take a while if they are having a good look for something specific (in my case detailed measuring of multiple fibroids).

And there may be the odd disconcerting noise, or maybe that's just me!

[WidowWadman]

They're standard at the 6 monthly routine check up you get in Germany. Not painful at all.

[LoveBeingADaddysGirl]

I had one last month and hadn't known till got there i was going to need an internal one (so had dd with me in the pushchair!)

there was the sonographer/doc (?) plus a nurse ( also a trainee as teaching hospital). So after doing the normal one he sent me off to the lou as don't need a full bladderfor the internal one. He showed it to me first and used loads if ky jelly. It was not painful at all. A sheet was over my legs and it wasn't that bad at all. Although there was so much ky I had to change myknickers when I got home

[mowbraygirl]

I have one every year as I am under the Ovarian Cancer Screening programme at Barts Hospital in London. I find it quite funny how they carefully put the condom on the wand and then loads of lubricating jelly sometimes sounds a bit squishy iykwim. I don't feel any discomfort at all and they don't take very long at all even though they have to take measurements of a small cyst I have on my right ovary.

[thinkimgoingtobesick]

Deafworm - he he he.. tbh i would have been the same if I'd not read the second sheet of the notes with the booking letter! GP made it sound like an ultrasound...i had no idea they could do it internally..makes sense now after talking to everyone on here, really hoping I dont have a cyst, although it gets bigger around my time of the month
LovebeingaDaddy'sgirl what did you do with your DD?
mowbraygirl and widowwadman Sounds like a much better way to screen for things than the horrid smear. What made my last one even worse was not only my "torn, ragged cervix" (anyone else been told that, and that it's normal? It has totally put me off any more pregnancies...althou my birth experiences have too, to be fair) but the fact the nurse couldn't actually find my cervix, and took three attempts. I was like, it is there isn't it? "oh yes, but you just have lots of folds". LOVELY.
Now have visions of the sonographer doing the same!

Sound effects to look forward to as well...excellent

[breatheslowly]

I had one to check the position of the placenta during pregnancy. If I had another I would ask to insert the wand myself as the sonographer did it without looking - presumably to preserve my dignity, but as a result didn't quite hit the right spot and it would have been more comfortable if I had just done it myself.

[WidowWadman]

thinki'mgoingtobesick - it's not instead of the smear, you still get the smear. It's just another examination. Only has really taken off in the past few years. Before I left Germany (5 years ago), it was all manual, i.e. smear, and palpation (a good feel) for anything unusual. Now it's smear and scan (I've seen my German gynaecologist in the run-up to planning this pregnancy). The smear shows changes in cervical cells. The scan can show cysts and other problems, but no cell changes, totally different thing.

[Karstan]

Like RedRosie mine took a while because they were measuring fibroids and polyps and things. Only uncomfortable bit was I got pins and needles in my hands because they made me sit on them so my pelvis was at the right angle

[GwendolineMaryLacey]

I just know I'm going to have to have this at my 12wk scan soon (lardarse). When you say condom, do you actually mean condom or a sort of condom-esque thing? Am worried now that the probe will come out but she'll be fishing around for the condom

[cabbageroses]

it's condom-esque IME.
Like a floppy plastic bag. I think the technical term would be a condom, but I just used to think of it as a cover. it isn't tight on the probe.

[ell1]

I had one recently, and it was fine, my partner was also allowed in with me.

It showed up that I have a 5cm Fibroid on one Ovary... still trying to sort this out.

[QueeferSutherland]

I've had loads.

Just like a thin dildo.
No worries.

I sent my DH out, even though there was bad news afoot as I felt it was a bit intrusive for some reason.

Edna & Aitch.

[A1980]

IME it's an actual condom. I saw them put it on. It's loose on the probe because the probe is nowhere near as big as a penis that's why it's so big on it.

But I was sitting up arranging my drape and I saw them take it out of a condom wrapper and roll it on. It had a teat on it and everything.

Sorry, TMI

[YeahBut]

Had a couple (they did it as standard for early pregnancy confirmation when we were overseas) and it doesn't hurt. DH was with me for one of mine. It didn't bother any of us in the slightest and DH is a wuss usually rather squeamish about that sort of thing!

[thinkimgoingtobesick]

Thanks for the posts
Booked in for next week...will re-post after.

ell1 and queefersutherland, how are you doing? How is treatment going (if you're having any?)

[mummybear2b]

I have had several and of these internal scans done both during pregnancy and before. During pregnancy they measured the length of my cervix to assess if i am likely to go into early labor. It does not go in very far at all and you have an empty bladder so far more comfortable than external with someone pushing on your bladder.

When I first found out i was pregnant i became anxious and impatient so opted for a private scan at Babybond they looked over the tummy first and then did an internal scan. The difference is amazing you can really see so much more. Baby went from being a small little blob that i could hardly see to a very clear cashew nut with a thumping heart beat !! fantastic and didnt hurt a bit !!!

You will be fine the key is to relax as much as you can and think of being on a beach somewhere exotic !

[ALovelyBunch0fCoconuts]

zombie thread!

[belinha73]

Hi, I'm really panicking because I had a miscarriage last month... And then just had fertility blood test yesterday at my local hospital, which was referred by my GP... Today I got back from work and there was a letter from the same hospital, which invited me for a US PELVIS TRANSVAGINAL! The blood test to measure my fertility was only yesterday.... And that hospital had never seen me before until yesterday!!! And now I received the letter only one day later!!! Why? It must have been urgent, they must have seen something suspicious in my blood test to request that US!!! My first research on Google was ovarian cancer check!!!! So worried!!! Has anyone gone through this before? Many thanks!!!

[PollyPerky]

Calm, calm!
There are millions of reasons for having a scan - it's just like an abdominal scan but they get a better picture doing it this way. Cancer is right at the bottom of the list I'm sure.
They will be able to see your fallopian tubes, ovaries, uterus and everything in between. Please don't panic. This is the type of scan women have for fibroids, ovarian cysts (benign or not), fertility problems and a whole lot more. It takes about 5-10 minutes and is painless.

[belinha73]

I know, thanks... My major concern isn't the actual US, but the fact that I was at the hospital only yesterday and today I already got a letter from the same hospital with yesterday's date inviting me for my US. Because I was there yesterday for a fertility blood test, I'm assuming they saw something suspicious in my test results and that is why I was called straight away... For something suspicious in my yesterday's test... As they hadn't met me before at all before yesterday...

[user1463996941]

It painful at all. Nothing like a smear. Try not to worry

[eurochick]

It's a bog standard part of fertility investigations. I was given the referral slip for mine along with the blood test slip and instructions for my OH to get tested. Try not to worry.