ultrasound - not for pregnancy

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Ive had a few ultrasounds for ovary problems. Usually when they are making outlines/squares they are measuring things like the size of your ovaries.

When i had an ovarian cystic tortian, they measured the size of the cyst on my ovary.

Depending on what you have gone to have the ultrasound for depends on what they will measure to see if there is a need for further investigagtion.

I've had four ultrasounds, not for pregnancy (because of a dermoid cyst on my ovary). I don't know if you're having a vaginal ultrasound or the one on your belly. 3 of mine were vaginal and 1 was on my belly. Not to scare you, but the vaginal ultrasound hurt like hell. I think they vary in diameter, but the first one they used on me was pretty big. The next 2 vaginal ultrasounds didn't hurt as badly. 

Yeah, they did the outlining thing on mine. I really couldn't tell my ovary apart from my uterus, etc., but I asked my nurse what was on the screen. She'll point out the different parts of your reproductive system. I really didn't know what was going on, but your doctor will fully explain everything. I'm not sure what you need an ultrasound for, but hopefully it's nothing too serious! 

Good luck :-) 

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Oh, you're right - the nurse isn't allowed to speculate as to what you have. For my first time, I didn't even know I had a problem. I asked the nurse what was going on, and she couldn't answer. However, once I met with my doctor he explained everything. 

50-60 pictures is a lot - I don't think they did that many for me. I know for certain diseases (like endometriosis, for example), they can't actually diagnose you with complete certainty unless they open you up. So maybe that's why they had to take so many pictures, because it's so difficult to see just via an ultrasound. I hope it's something minor like that! Maybe taking the birth control pill will clear it up for you. Anyway, good luck tomorrow!!! And don't be afraid to grill your doctor, haha.

Maybe it was a new nurse and she wanted to make sure she didn't miss anything?

Good news is that since they took so many pictures, if there is anything there to find, I'm sure they got at least one clear picture of it.

good luck and try not to stress before you even get your results.

Hiya there,

  Whilst I did have my ultrasounds for a miscarriage, I can tell you that the nurse only took a few ( read maybe 4or 5 ) of the baby and the rest were all of my tubes and ovaries.

  I am not sure how many pictures she took, but I am certian in was more then 20.  She too made boxes and she measured things and then took remeasurements.

  She was allowed to tell me about the miscarriage, because it was quite clear what we were looking at, but she was not allowed to tell me about the ovarian cysts she had found.  A doctor had to talk to me about those.

 Ultrasounds are now very traumatic for me and just the word brings tears to my eyes.  I am do for one now that I no longer have products of conception left, but I am just to..I dunno...just the idea of another one after so many actually makes me vomit. 

 I know our reasons for the ultrasound are different, but waiting for any test is stressful and scary and I do so hope you wont be kept waiting for to long and I do hope they will be able to help you.

They did a ton of pictures on me- (i assume when you say "pictures" you mean where they freeze the image and type) so dont let that scare you.

I was in to be diagnosed with PCOS .  Unfortunately until the radiologist gives it a looksy you wont likely know anything.  If you have a good GP- ask them to bug the radiologist.

Not sure of the details of your abnormal bleeding, but it is pretty common for women to experience some type- and only in a few cases is it serious.

Thinking good thoughts for you :)

Sereniticat - Your story is heart aching. I'm so sorry for what you had to go through.  That sounds really ruff, and I cant imagine wanting to go back either.  :(

I have had several abdominal and pelvic ultrasounds due to cysts. I am also a nurse, so I have seen a lot of them performed. I am not an ultrasound tech, but I can tell you that they measure ALL of the structures in the abdomen and pelvis,  thats what all those boxes and pictures are about. They measure your bladder, bowel, reproductive organs, both kidneys, liver, pancreas, gall bladder, sometimes the aorta, usually from two or three directions each. That can add up to lots of pictures right there. Then they also measure any cysts, fluid collections or anything else they see. Many of these things are totally normal, even many ovarian cysts- they are what the egg comes out of. But until the radiologist looks at it, you won't know for sure. The techs usually are not allowed to tell you because they are not doctors, they may see something that might look funny to them but is totally normal for you. Don't worry too much, (I know how hard it can be to wait.)  Let the doctors do thier job- thats what you are paying them for!

As far as how long the results take, if it's an out patient study, the rad will usually read it within 24-48 hrs, then send the results to the ordering physician. That MD's office should contact you within a week of the study, often sooner if there is a problem. Depending on the results, they will send you a letter, call you, or have you come in for an appointment. Usually a letter means all clear, but the others are a toss up, depending on your doctors preferences.

Original Post by ilovedietcoke:

thankyou both. it was transvag & abdominal...because of abnormal bleeding (sorry tmi). they took ~50-60 pictures, which seems like a lot to me! she identified the organs like you said...but said she couldn't tell me if she saw anything bad.

thanks again for the quick replies. hopefully i will hear back tomorrow

 I had to have the same tests performed a few years ago for the same reason.  They found a polyp and within a few weeks, I had it removed and everything was fine.  I hope that everything will be fine for you as well.  The tech did measure and mark it and I was in there for quite a while.  Good luck to you!

I had an abdominal ultrasound to find out what was wrong with my kidneys. Nothing aparantly, but she took about 50 or so, kept circling black masses on the pics, and my nurse was really mean. She wouldn't even tell me what the organs were or what i was looking at! Just kept telling me i'd find out later, find out later. What sucked is I found out she was one of my moms old schoolmates from college. Haha. I don't think my mom liked her too much after I told her about who my nurse was. Good times. I just can't intake fiber, that was the whole problem.

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Thanks again for your thoughts and stories.

Hi, I have 3 different ultrasounds in the last 6 months. They have marked my ovaries, cyst and the fibroids. Just take a breath you will have answers soon.