Why Should I Get an Ultrasound for Pelvic Pain?

Do you suffer from pelvic pain? An ultrasound is a way for us at Eve Medical of Miami to see the organs and structures in your pelvis without radiation and determine a diagnosis for your pain. 

A pelvic ultrasound uses a transducer to send out ultrasound waves at high frequencies that the human ear can’t hear. 

The sounds that the transducer creates bounce off organs and other pelvic structures. The transducer then sends the data to a computer, which converts the information into an image of the organs and structures within your pelvis.

Sound waves travel at different speeds, depending on what tissue they encounter. Air slows down sound waves the most, which can distort the data that’s sent back to the computer. To avoid this, we use an ultrasound gel to remove the air barrier between the skin and transducer for more accurate sound wave data.

Our team uses ultrasounds for diagnostic purposes. Read on to find out how an ultrasound can help diagnose your pelvic pain.

What conditions ultrasounds can help diagnose

We can use a pelvic ultrasound for the evaluation of your uterus, ovaries, endometrium, myometrium, cervix, and bladder, as well as the blood flow in your pelvic organs. By looking at these organs and tissues, we can diagnose or tweak treatment of the following conditions:

• Endometrial conditions (structural abnormalities of the uterus)
• All types of tumors, masses, and cysts 
• Infections and inflammatory diseases 
• Ectopic pregnancy (a pregnancy outside the uterus)
• Abnormal bleeding 

With the help of an ultrasound, we can also do infertility evaluations by looking at the size of the ovarian follicle and can assess some fetal conditions during pregnancy.

How you can prepare for an ultrasound

We can perform a pelvic ultrasound in two ways: transabdominal (through the abdomen) and transvaginal (through the vagina).

You need to either eat or drink at least one hour before your ultrasound appointment. If you have a transvaginal ultrasound, we recommend that you empty your bladder before the exam. For a transabdominal exam, we recommend you empty your bladder only after the exam.

Since there’s no radiation involved, the side effects are minimal. You may experience some discomfort with a transvaginal ultrasound, but there’s no pain involved.

If you want to find the cause of your pelvic pain, contact us at our Miami, Florida, office to schedule an appointment and get a diagnosis.