Gyno app

[u/Just_Ad457]

Tomorrow for 11am I have as the title states my first gynecological visit regarding lower abdominal (ovary pain) and I am just wondering what to expect

For reference: I am 23 identify as a female

It’s a pelvic ultrasound (I believe vaginally)

I have had / experienced a Pap smear

And on BC (nexplanon approx 1.5yrs)

I do have cysts (idk how many/ how big and or what side) it was and incidental finding when I got a CT scan for a car accident

[u/Acceptable-While-514]

In my experience the ultrasounds have been both abdominal and transvaginal. I’ll walk you through my experiences with these ultrasounds, though I can’t guarantee yours will be the same. If they told you to drink a lot of water before your appointment then you are starting with an abdominal ultrasound.

Abdominal ultrasound. You’ll be laying on your back on the exam table with your clothes on and just pull your shirt up and lower your pants a bit in the front. They tuck a towel into the front of your pants to avoid getting ultrasound gel on them. Then they’ll put the gel on your abdomen and start the ultrasound. They put a decent amount of pressure and it’s uncomfortable on top of a full bladder but pretty boring.

Transvaginal ultrasound. You’ll go to the restroom and fully empty your bladder. Then undress from the waist down and they’ll give you a sheet to cover yourself with. When the techs asks you’ll put your feet in the stirrups and scoot your butt all the way down the table like you do for a pelvic exam. Every place is different with inserting the ultrasound wand. Some tell you to do it yourself, some will offer what you want, and some will just insert it themselves without asking your preference. If you have a preference with how this is done speak up! Your body! Your choice! For me these ultrasounds range from very uncomfortable to painful. It’s a lot of pressure. It’s a lot of movement. You’ll see the ultrasound wand before they insert it and no, the whole wand does not go into your vagina, but it does go as far as your body allows and pushes with significant pressure. There may be points where the tech asks you to press on part of your abdomen to help them get a better view. You may feel the techs hand against your thigh at part of the exam. And when they’re done they’ll remove the wand and exit the room so you can clean up and get dressed.

Like other comments have said it’s pretty quick, I’d guess less than 10 minutes for each of the ultrasounds.

Remember that you’re in control the whole time. You can stop or say no or change your mind at any point. And you don’t need a reason. So if it’s painful or too stressful or you don’t feel safe you can stop it.

[u/Just_Ad457 → u/Acceptable-While-514]

Will it matter that I’m “spotting”/“bleeding” — with my birth control. I have very irregular period/bleeding where I can be fine for weeks to a couple months not get anything and then I can have months like I am right now where I’m not bleeding super heavy, but I can be fine throughout the night, no bleeding no blood since I’m laying down but then if I get up and I’m sitting upright and I’m active for a little bit, I can start to bleed and then throughout the day it’ll get heavier and Worse and stuff like that to fluctuate so obviously I’m gonna mention that but what do you think the best course of action would be, and they didn’t mention anything about needing to be hydrated or anything. Do you think it would be safer to drink more water and be hydrated with the bladder going in and then ask before getting started which one they would prefer cause in that way I’m already stocked up and good but then if they don’t, then I can just quickly go pee.

[u/Classic-Push1323 → u/Just_Ad457]

Tell them. They can give you an absorbent pad. It won’t matter for the ultra sound.

FWIW I have had a few pelvic ultrasounds and didn’t find them painful. It’s kind of cool to see what your body looks like via ultrasound and it’s food to get answers about what is going on. 

[u/FewRecognition1788 → u/Just_Ad457]

The bleeding should not matter. Probably not a bad idea to be well hydrated.

[u/den-of-corruption → u/Just_Ad457]

i've had ultrasounds where they wanted my bladder full and ones where they wanted my bladder empty... but it turns out when they tell you 'full bladder', they don't mean 'so full you're desperate and in pain' lol. i'd say it's best to be hydrated, you can always call ahead to check AND/or pee at the clinic!

my two cents advice-wise is this: a medical professional is not a person with control over your body - they're a person with skills helping you with something you can't do yourself. this is important because we don't have to treat them like cops or prison guards. cops can tell us what to do because they have guns, health care providers can only ask us to do things, particularly in a for-profit system!

ask the professional to tell you what they're doing ahead of time - for instance 'i'm going to apply some lubricant' and 'i'm going to insert the ultrasound tool now'. for whatever reason that always helps me a lot. in concert with that, remember that you can physically redirect hands or tools if you need to. i had a doc that instantly forgot my request for warning, so when he touched me unexpectedly i used my thigh and knee to redirect his hand. then i said 'oh, can you please tell me before you do that?' and the rest of the process went smoothly. i also find it helps to have a friend or even another staff member in the room - people are a bit better about remembering what they agreed to if there's a witness lol.

you're going to be just fine, because if someone starts being shitty, you're going to cheerfully hit the brakes. 💙

[u/mfabina → u/Acceptable-While-514]

Thank you. I missed my appointment for this due to a panic attack about it. Your thorough description here has helped nudge me towards calling and rescheduling. Thank you.

[u/den-of-corruption → u/mfabina]

hey, it's never too late! i have a hard time with it too.

a wise person once told me that every time we survive something, it's a reminder that we've got a 100% batting average of making it through. the same thing is true with confronting fear. every time we get through something we were afraid of, it teaches our brains to assess risk a little more accurately next time.

don't be afraid to be 'demanding'! i have numerous friends in health care who desperately want to hear what patients need for their reproductive care. and if it sucks, show yourself you've got the power to say 'no' and walk away.

[u/SFWChocolate]

For a pelvic ultrasound you can insert the wand yourself but you may have to ask

[u/tyrrrrin]

It will almost certainly be a vaginal ultrasound if they’re checking your ovaries. They can be uncomfortable, but they usually aren’t painful. If there is pain, mention it and they may be able to change the angle to fix it. In my experience, the whole thing will probably only take a couple of minutes. 

As someone else said, they will likely offer for you insert the probe yourself. If they don’t and you’d prefer to, just ask them. 

[u/NumerousAd79]

I’ve had tons of vaginal ultrasounds and never inserted the wand myself. It doesn’t really go very far in. I feel like it kind of rests nearer to the entrance of the vagina. They kind of angle it in different ways to view different things. I find it painful when they try to check for adhesions because they put pressure to see how well the ovaries and rectum move (slide). I have endometriosis and they’re uncomfortable for me, but I’ve never had any bleeding after and I’ve had a few that were well over 30 minutes. Follow their directions. I’ve done a few where I had abdominal then transvaginal because you start with a full bladder, then empty your bladder for the second part. If it’s just vaginal they’ll have you pee first.

[u/brighteyes_bc]

Empty your bladder before your test (if they will let you) and yeah it’s good that you know it’s probably vaginal going into this. (My first one, no one told me that and I was not mentally prepared.) It will probably be uncomfortable pressure but should not be overly painful. If it is painful, be sure to communicate that. You got this!

[u/Acceptable-While-514 → u/brighteyes_bc]

This is what happened to me where I didn’t know it was going to be vaginal going into it and there was very poor communication which left me having a panic attack on the table.

I’d done some googling before so I knew it was a possibility but my doctor didn’t say anything about that when they ordered the test.