I'm a sonographer, so I can give you a rundown from the other perspective. Coming with a full bladder part is very important, I know that timing it just right is horribly difficult, but if you show up not very full or go to the bathroom at the last minute, they may make you sit in the waiting room drinking to fill your bladder, this can take at least an hour (some might not though, it depends on department policy). While your bladder is full they will do an ultrasound on top, like the kind you see on TV for babies. During this they'll go through imaging and measuring you uterus and ovaries.
Then, they should let you empty your bladder. I am really surprised by the other commenters who had transvaginal exams with full bladders! I would never do that to a patient unless it was an emergency. After you empty your bladder they'll ask you to undress from the waist down, giving you a gown or a sheet to cover up with. They'll have some sort of pelvic bed like at a gynecologist's office, or will ask you to sit on a foam wedge to help tilt your hips up.
The transducer is not very wide, but it is very long. Don't get nervous about that! 90% of it is handle. It only goes in a couple of inches, similar to a tampon. It will have some sort of cover on it, either condom or specific transducer cover. If they don't offer, you can ask to insert it yourself if that makes you feel better. I usually offer, but most people say no, so some sonographers stop asking altogether.
How long the exam lasts and how uncomfortable it is for you will really depend on your anatomy. If your ovaries are hard to get to it may take longer and the sonographer may have to push out more to the side. Throughout the exam you should feel pressure, but you should not feel pain unless you're already in pain.
The presence of gas and bowel can make a difference in how easy the exam is, so if you kinda feel like you have to go, try to have a bowel movement beforehand. We don't tell people to do that, but its what I would do if I was having one done.
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Date: 2011-06-19 02:23 pm (UTC)Then, they should let you empty your bladder. I am really surprised by the other commenters who had transvaginal exams with full bladders! I would never do that to a patient unless it was an emergency. After you empty your bladder they'll ask you to undress from the waist down, giving you a gown or a sheet to cover up with. They'll have some sort of pelvic bed like at a gynecologist's office, or will ask you to sit on a foam wedge to help tilt your hips up.
The transducer is not very wide, but it is very long. Don't get nervous about that! 90% of it is handle. It only goes in a couple of inches, similar to a tampon. It will have some sort of cover on it, either condom or specific transducer cover. If they don't offer, you can ask to insert it yourself if that makes you feel better. I usually offer, but most people say no, so some sonographers stop asking altogether.
How long the exam lasts and how uncomfortable it is for you will really depend on your anatomy. If your ovaries are hard to get to it may take longer and the sonographer may have to push out more to the side. Throughout the exam you should feel pressure, but you should not feel pain unless you're already in pain.
The presence of gas and bowel can make a difference in how easy the exam is, so if you kinda feel like you have to go, try to have a bowel movement beforehand. We don't tell people to do that, but its what I would do if I was having one done.