Uterus scan

[Haver74]

My GP has referred me for a scan before possibly prescribing HRT. I don’t understand why. She said my periods becoming heavier and more irregular is normal coming up to menopause and I have no bleeding in between or anything to be concerned about, so why have I been referred for this invasive procedure? My anxiety is through the roof.

Why didn't you ask the GP when she said she was referring you? She'd be the best person to ask.

She said it was to check everything was OK, but I have no abnormal symptoms really, I'm just perimenopausal. I have extreme anxiety, and find phone calls difficult so didn't push it.

I just wondered if it is normal practice to ne referred for a scan before HRT.

Maybe challenge your GP again. It's not in the NICE guidance or any prescribing guide for HRT.

If you have very heavy periods, she may be checking you don't have fibroids.

It all depends what you main reason for your consultation was.
If it was heavy periods, a scan is fairly normal.
If it was for HRT (and no other real symptoms) then it's not normal.

The procedure is not invasive if it's an abdominal scan but if it's an internal one, that is slightly different (but not painful.)

Thank you. I think if it's an internal scan I will call and ask why I need it. I had one years ago and don't intend to have another for no good reason.
Periods are just heavier than they used to be. I have classic perimenopause symptoms and I'm 50!

My GP did the same because my periods had become wildly different, varying from extremely light to bloodbaths, plus I had a known fibroid that would grow during my pregnancies and shrink a little between them.

The procedure was not too bad. The sonographer was gentle and respectful. I was covered up, and the probe was not inserted far at all. Very minor discomfort, far less than for a smear, and no pain at all.

Mine aren't wildly different and I asked the doctor about HRT, not about heavy periods. She just latched on to that, and I think I'm being fobbed off. She already sent me for blood tests and said those are fine.
Not worried about pain, but my anxiety makes medical appointments, particularly intimate ones, difficult. I am already anxious about it.