Transvaginal Ultrasound

How Does Ultrasound Produce Images?

Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves to create images of organs and other structures inside your body. This type of imaging is safe for pregnant women because it doesn’t use radiation.

A device called a transducer emits the sound waves. As they bounce off tissues, fluids, and bones, the sensor collects the echoes and sends them to a computer, which translates them into an image. Ultrasound shows structures and movement, such as blood flowing through a vessel.

What is a Transvaginal Ultrasound?

Transvaginal ultrasound, also called pelvic ultrasound, produces higher-quality images of your uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, cervix, and bladder. The doctor inserts a long, thin transducer into the vagina where it can direct sound waves toward the area being examined. This produces more detailed images than an abdominal ultrasound because the transducer is closer to internal structures.

What Gynecological Conditions are Diagnosed Using Transvaginal Ultrasound?

Transvaginal ultrasound lets your doctor at Women’s Healthcare Physicians of Naples evaluate the size, shape, and position of your uterus, ovaries, and fallopian tubes, the length and thickness of the cervix, changes in the shape of organs, and the presence of fluids or tumors.

You may need a transvaginal ultrasound to determine the cause of pelvic pain or abnormal bleeding. It helps diagnose many health conditions, including:

• Endometriosis
• Uterine fibroids or polyps
• Ovarian cysts
• Ectopic pregnancy
• Pelvic inflammatory disease
• Ovarian cancer

Transvaginal ultrasound also helps determine the cause of infertility and may be used to monitor egg development in women receiving fertility drugs.

Is a Transvaginal Ultrasound Used During Pregnancy?

Your doctor at Women’s Healthcare Physicians of Naples uses a transvaginal ultrasound if it’s needed during the first 6-8 weeks. The developing baby isn’t large enough to see with a transabdominal ultrasound until around eight weeks.

During early pregnancy, doctors use transvaginal ultrasounds to:

• Confirm the date of conception and the baby’s age
• Assess the pregnancy’s location to rule out ectopic pregnancy
• Determine the gestational sac’s size and appearance
• Verify the baby’s heartbeat
• Quantify the number of babies
• Assess uterine health

Your doctor at Women’s Healthcare Physicians of Naples may perform a transvaginal ultrasound any time during pregnancy if needed to evaluate the baby’s development or the mother’s placenta.