my friend had this happen at her 20 week scan - is this normal?

[Keenoonvino]

She has just told me that to check her cervix, the sonographer went up her bumhole for a look. Is this normal?! She said he didn't really explain anything just did it. She had her partner in the room with her.

I am dying of curiosity wondering if this is normal or not and if so, why has this not happened to me, anyone I know, or in anything I've read?!? I don't want to press her for any more details...

definitely not normal, maybe checking for haemorrhoids but even if he was (which I doubt anyway) he should of communicated this to her. Sounds very dodgy.

I hope your friend is ok , it seems wrong. I have had the tummy and internal scans, and nobody ever wanted to put anything up the rear end looking at my babies.

sorry thought it was the dr, sonographer definitely shouldn't of done it

I'm wondering if your friend had a bad tear from a previous birth and they wanted to check the scar tissue? Obviously the sonographer didn't explain very well if it was that but I have heard of women having perianal scans to check healing after 3rd or 4th degree tears.

When I had a TV scan to check for the position of the placenta, the sonographer jabbed the dildo cam on my perinium until she found my vagina. I have no idea why she didn't just look at what she was doing, though she would have to had terrible aim to get my arse instead.

Ummm, did he tell her before he was going up the arse or not? If not could he have 'missed' with a transvaginal? I've heard of sonographers nearly going up the wrong hole before.

Surely it will say on the scan report which will be in her notes.

I've had an internal scan, more than once, with the dildo cam.

This sounds incredibly dodgey to me OP!

Just to pick up on something that a few pp have said: I had my antenatal scans at Kings. They are doing a long-term study as they have found a potential link between a shorter cervical length and a higher risk of premature labour. Consequently it is normal practice (with consent) to conduct an internal scan at 12 and 22 weeks, and it's therefore also normal to be stripped from the waist down, with appropriate coverings for modesty.

Had a tv scan at circa 30 weeks to check placenta location (had been expecting ta so to have tv sprung was a bit of a surprise in the first place) But the sonographer aimed wrongly (attempted bum entry) only to have me look shocked and pretty much squeak that she was too low. Took me too much by surprise to have any other reaction.
Dh was almost wetting himself in amusement. Hmm. Less amusing from my angle.

Why don't they just look at what they are doing?

I know a senior midwife who got the wrong hole once. She was trying to push the baby's head back up so a section could be done and shoved her fingers up the woman's bum by mistake. Woman never knew as she had a spinal in. Midwife had to quickly change gloves and go again.

I could feel things with a spinal, just not with associated pain, does it depend how much anaesthetic you've had?

I felt nothing with a spinal. Think it also depends where it goes in.