Abnormal transvaginal ultrasound scan

[50plusproblems]

Had an ultrasound scan yesterday, they then also did a transvaginal ultrasound, so I ‘knew’ they must have seen something. Checked my gp records online, scan has come back abnormal, gp appointment booked for 25 June, earliest I could get. I have a blood test (unrelated) booked tomorrow so am going to ask the nurse if she can tell me what is on the scan, although I doubt she will. I’m worried it’s gonna be some kind of cancer, although in reality I know it’s unlikely. Don’t really know what I want from this post, I’m just very worried now and that’s not like me.

Hello

They can't actually find cancer in the scans generally.

It's strange that you can see these things before anyone has actually made contact for you to book an appointment. It's bound to make anyone panic.

There are all sorts of things they could have found, many of them really nothing. Why did you have the scan?

It really could be anything at all, fibroids , polyps , anything, they recently discovered adenomyosis after mine

pls do not panic and try to calm your mind by remembering that if it were cancer they would have seen you sooner than 25th June

Surely it depends on the reason you were having a scan in the first place - without that info MN can only wildly speculate as to what's going on in there!

Gynae scans should usually be transvaginal unless there is a contraindication to vaginal scan. You would usually have a tummy scan as well, but vaginal is gold standard so I wouldn’t worry just for that.

Thank you everyone.

I was referred as routine due to recent horrendous periods. They've always been bad but recently they’ve literally floored me to the point I can barely move for 3 days, pains in different places than previously, nausea etc.

They did a tummy scan first, then transvaginal. I’ve had a few tummy scans over the years but have never needed a further tvscan.

I can log in to my records online and it shows test result abnormal but no further details. I know it’s very unlikely to be cancer, as I’m sure if it was they would have rang me immediately on getting the results, but I can’t help thinking that.

Is adenomyosis different to endometriosis? I’ve thought for many years that I could have endometriosis but nothing ever really comes of my mentioning it to gp. I’m sure my dd (early twenties) has endo, but she’s struggling to get anyone to investigate either. She’s currently on coil and depo injection to control her bleeding - thankfully it has but she still has other symptoms that fit with endo.

Your story sounds so like mine OP. They willl always do a TVUS for very heavy bleeding at our age.

Likelihood of something like a thickened lining is strong. They'll go through it with you.

I can't access that kind of thing through my app and remain surprised about that.

Try not to be concerned. Could be loads of different observations.

They start with abdominal then move to transvaginal

I’m on the same pathway and waiting for an appt for my 3rd TVU! Basically they are trying to get a snapshot at different points in my cycle as the first one showed a swollen ovary which wasn’t there on the 2nd one, 2nd one showed a fibroid which they didn’t see on the first one!
Sending unmumsnetty hugs and solidarity @50plusproblems it is crap and causes worry

Thanks again everyone… so nurse couldn’t tell me at my blood test today, reception team said if it was anything awful I would have been given an urgent appointment with the GP and that’s not the case.

I’ve checked my nhs app and the test results are there! So it’s says endometrial hyperplasia. I’ve read up on it and feel relieved, and happy to wait until the 25th for the next steps.

I’ve had this before & always ask for the findings at scans now. The sonographer told me last time that if they have any ‘critical findings’ this is reported to the GP same day or within 24hrs. Does it say how thick the endometrium is?

I think trusts vary - we aren't allowed to ask at the time.

The sonographer is not allowed to say anything, other than results will be sent to GP within 7-10 days.

Mildly thickened - 17mm. Report was with the GP the same evening as I had the scan.

GP was really rubbish the other day, said he’d email gynae to see what to do. Gynae have replied they want to see me urgently for a hysteroscopy.

I’m sorry but a hysteroscopy is very, very, basic, first line standard procedure to a gynae if they do nothing else.they can discharge you same day as a hysteroscopy and yes this does not look for anything like endometriosis, PCOS it is a glorified smear test which may take 6 weeks then a traditional scrape by the smear nurse.

If I’d had the coil inserted through a gp I’ve had have been subject to a a very long questionnaire and an internal neither happened through a hospital gynaecologist.

hysteroscopy

are carried out as a standard almost when or should a woman bare dare pass up on a smear.

It may be the tummy scan, they found gallstones on mine but nothing on the transvaginal one. The message I got was to make an appointment to discuss abnormalities on the scan. Like you I was terrified until I knew the results.

I am in my early 70s and have a history of post-menopausal bleeding, an enlarged uterus, several large fibroids (which are now degenerating) and have been treated for thickened endometrial lining and endometrial hyperplasia. This has been reversed following 12 months of low dose oral medroxyprogesterone (Provera). Also, recently, a 5cm ovarian cyst was identified which has since been absorbed.

Whenever my gynae consultant has ordered an ultrasound scan a transvaginal scan has also been carried out, after the bladder has been emptied. It's standard practice to do both. For example, ovarian cysts are often more easily visualised via transvaginal ultrasound.

I've also has several hysteroscopies (which take around 10 minutes) where my thickened endometrial lining has been biopsied and the pathology reports have recorded "simple hyperplasia without atypia".

Having a thickened endometrial lining does not necessarily indicate cancer or pre-cancer. But for postmenopausal women, an endometrial lining above a certain thickness is considered a potential red flag for pre-cancerous changes to the cells of the endometrium, which is why biopsies are carried out to look for changes at the cellular level. At its thickest, mine measured 22mm on ultrasound but is now much thinner.

Ask your consultant's secretary to provide you with copies of your ultrasound reports and hysteroscopy pathology reports if biopsies have been taken when you are sent the follow-up letter from your consultant.