Hi, Could someone tell me if an intravaginal ultrasound would be the correct test for uterine and ovarian cancer? I have been on meds that could cause either and am having stomach/abdominal pain and feel bloated. I am past menopause so there is no bleeding. I also have Crohn's disease and my gastritis, esophagitis and acid reflux seems worse so I am not sure what i am dealing with but would like to rule out the gyn thing first. I also had a mastectomy for DCIS almost 3 years ago.

Thanks for any input

Suggi

A vaginal ultrasound lets them see anything that looks suspicious but doesn't definitely diagnose cancer. Many women have harmless cysts on their ovaries. Ovarian cancer is not very common. I had an ultrasound in January and they saw fibroids and a thickened uterine lining. That prompted a uterine biopsy, which was negative.

That is true about the trans vaginal ultrasound. It will show pictures of what's there but won't show what it IS that is there. In my case, the unterine lining was thickened and it showed where and how much. I had post menapausal bleeding and we were looking for a cause. Turned out that the thickening was indeed a endometrial cancer, but low grade and early stage. Great as part of a group of tests to see what's going on. Hope you are well.

Hanging in there.. I just had an intravaginal ultrasound done a few days ago, (results unknown) and I am scheduled for a uterine biopsy on the 29th. I'm really nervous about the biopsy.. how bad does it hurt? Does it take long? Do they have to dialate you or is it a punch type thing? They want the sample from the uterine lining. Thanks for any answers.

Well, it's definitely unpleasant, let's put it that way. The doctor had a hard time (because of the fibroids) getting a sample from the top of my uterus. She poked for about five minutes, then said let's take a break, then came back and worked about five more minutes. She said I did really well, that some women tell her to discontinue. It was definitely uncomfortable. I don't mean to scare you, just being honest.

Thanks for your honesty.. so I'm assuming that on a good day that it should only take five minutes or so.. I know that it will be a L_O_N_G five minutes, but I had no idea what to expect.. so thanks.

First she will dilate your cervix like a pap smear. Then you will feel like you're being poked with a needle. If your fibroids don't get in the way too bad, it should only be a couple minutes. She almost thought she wasn't going to get a good enough sample and said I might need a D & C. I didn't want that so I told her I'd prefer she try some more. Oh, and she said afterwards there will probably be some cramping and spotting. She gave me a pad and two Advil. I did have a little spotting. The cramping was slight. I'm sure it would have been worse without the Advil.

Good luck. :)

Hangin in there

I didn't realize that a uterine biopsey could be done in the office. That is good news as it is much better than getting a D&C. I have fibroids also so I guess it is a bit of a problem to get around them. Thanks for the info.

Suggi

I don't know if I have fibroids or not. My mother had them when she was my age though. Gawd, I am dreading this... I don't even know what the doctor is really looking for.. this is my first time seeing him ( I haven't been to a doctor in over 10 years.. no insurance) and he didn't do a pap smear, he just felt on my stomach and ordered the biopsy and ultrasound. I had some irregular bleeding last month, but I was able to control it by using progesterone cream... so I'm thinking that my problem is hormonal. He thinks that I am too young for perimenopause( i'm 40) And I just couldn't bring myself to ask what he thought may be wrong.. I should have asked... my next appointment with my doctor is on May 4th, so I have to wait until then to get any results. Thanks for your help ladies!