A healthcare provider who specializes in ultrasounds usually performs a pelvic ultrasound. The medical field calls these providers sonographers. In some cases, your doctor may do the exam.
During a pelvic ultrasound, a sonographer uses a special tool called a transducer. This small, wand-like instrument gives off sound waves. The transducer connects to a computer and a screen. As your healthcare provider moves the transducer, the sound waves bounce off certain types of tissue. They then return to the transducer as echoes. The computer translates the echoes into images, which appear on the screen.
Sonograms are pictures in real time, meaning they show your organs’ movements as they happen. Sonograms also show blood flowing through blood vessels.
Your healthcare provider may ask you to drink plenty of water before an abdominal pelvic ultrasound. A full bladder helps the transducer’s sound waves travel, creating a clearer picture of your bladder. You usually don’t need to do this for a rectal or transvaginal ultrasound.
Your healthcare provider should provide instructions before any pelvic scan. Make sure to reach out with questions you may have.
You may need to go to a center that specializes in imaging for a pelvic ultrasound. But many healthcare providers have ultrasound equipment in their clinics. That makes it convenient for you to receive an in-office scan without going to a separate location.
Your healthcare provider applies warm gel on the lower part of your belly. The gel helps the transducer glide smoothly over your skin and create clearer pictures. Your provider moves the transducer over different areas of your abdomen. You shouldn’t feel any pain.
During a transvaginal exam, your healthcare provider will insert the transducer a few inches into your vagina after covering it in a lubricating gel. It may feel a bit uncomfortable at first, like a gynecologic exam. Your provider gently moves the transducer at different angles to get clear pictures of your reproductive organs.
During a rectal ultrasound, you lie on your side. Your healthcare provider inserts a lubricated transducer into your rectum to examine the lining there. Your provider may also scan the prostate.
You shouldn’t experience any side effects after a pelvic scan. Contact your healthcare provider right away if you experience pain, bleeding, fever or other problems.
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