The one with the pelvic ultrasound
Well hey there, and welcome to my first ever Wild Womb Co- blog post!!
Nothing says "hey wanna get to know me?" like diving straight into talking about vaginas and pelvic ultrasounds…soooo you’re welcome I guess?
In this first blog post, I am sharing with you all about my recent experience getting a pelvic ultrasound to be tested for endometriosis. Including what the experience was like, what I would do differently, and why I was going… in the hopes that it will give you some deeper wisdom if this is a pathway you are exploring or considering going down.
look at that clever little ovary there!
I will preface this with saying that no, an ultrasound is not the gold standard for diagnosing endo - that title lies with a laproscopy - however it is less invasive and is used as part of the early diagnosis workup (read more about the tools for diagnosis here).
What I incorrectly assumed (so learn from my mistake!) is that a pelvic ultrasound is a pelvic ultrasound. It’s pretty stock standard right? And given that my referral was specifically for checking for endo, that they would be checking pretty thoroughly for that… right? What I have learnt since is that that isn't necessarily the case. So heads up - in future I would book in somewhere that specifically offers an endometriosis ultrasound (or with someone who is specialised in gynecological imaging).
Alrighty, what was the experience like?
The best way that I can summarise it thus far is as a whirlwind.
And honestly a big part of that was my fault (and exactly why I am sharing this experience with you).
I received a referral from my GP and naturally I wanted answers like yesterday, so I booked in straight away with a clinic nearby that had great Google reviews. I called them up while I was on my way to work because I wanted to be proactive and get booked in ASAP, but this also meant I didn't do any further research and I probably should have (yay for hindsight always being 20/20).
If I was to have that time again I would breathhhhhhhh.
Do some research first.
And, as mentioned above, find an imaging location that specialises in ultrasound for endo or gynecological imaging (bonus points if they are going to discuss your results then and there - which is something I didn't have.)
Now this is not to say that the experience of having the pelvic ultrasound was horrendous or like a storm (I don't want to scare you off what might be a very needed procedure)… but ultimately there was a lot that happened very quickly in short period of time, and it took a sec for me to reground and feel myself again through the maelstrom.
The pelvic ultrasound itself was fairly straight forward.
The morning of, I drank a ridiculous amount of tea and water to make sure my bladder was nice and full (as requested) and off I went to get checked out.
Surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly as I was booked for 8.20am and one of the first appointments of the day) when I rocked up I only sat in the waiting room for about 2 seconds before I went through. The front receptionist and the gentleman doing my scans were pretty friendly. He directed me where to go, told me the process, and I asked if I could take pictures of the ultrasound screen (it was worth a try). Unfortunately I wasn't allowed to but was informed that I could access the images post ultrasound on their patient portal which was pretty cool (like my beautiful ovary above!).
The Ultrasound
First up was an external ultrasound of my lower abdomen
This was fairly straight forward and I was still fully clothed at this point.
A quick squirt of jel and then inspection with the ultrasound on my lower abdomen, and that was that!
I have to say, I was super grateful when I got to empty out my extremely bursting bladder. Then I got changed into one of those beautiful gowns, you know the ones basically made of paper and suuuuuuper flattering?! Yeah those ones. Fortunately the sonographer reminded me that the opening goes at the back - I can never remember.
Next up was the internal ultrasound.
Now I will point out here that if you are going for a pelvic ultrasound, whether to diagnose endo or for some other reason, the internal ultrasound is optional. Both my GP and the sonographer were really clear about this - and while it is recommended as it results in better imaging, it wasn't compulsory (so if this is something that concerns you, know you have this choice!).
I opted to go for it seeing as it was hopefully going to be able to give more detailed insight into what was going on and I had *somewhat* mentally prepared for it in advance. I was super grateful that I was able to insert the ultrasound wand myself (I was going to ask but it seems like this is standard procedure?? Let me know if this hasn't been your experience! And if it isn't offered to you then you are well within your rights to request it). This process was definitely more intense and a little uncomfortable, but I did my best to focus on my breath and relax my pelvic floor (as much as can be done while someone is investigating your insides).
All in all, it was pretty smooth sailing and very fast!
The thing that I was kind of prepared for but also *how prepared can you really be?!* was the emotional tidal wave that came as soon as that wand went in. Now this isn't necessarily going to be your experience, but there was clearly some *shit* stored in my vaginal canal that needed a good clearing. Because yup - the pelvic floor including the womb and cervix holds a lot of trauma and emotions.
As soon as I inserted that wand I teared up and got all caught up in my throat (some of it was gratitude for seeing my beautiful uterus and ovaries on the screen), but there was a lot of grief and loss that flowed out of me too. And I am so freaking grateful I had the space to feel into that over the following few days - because it was a lot! Stories around sexuality, self worth, trust, vulnerability, courage all bubbling (more like spewing) to the surface, ultimately to be felt and released or transmuted.
And I tell you what, I feel like a new woman on this side of it!
That is another big takeaway - create space for yourself AFTERWARDS if you can! If nothing comes up then you have some free time, and if things do come up then you have that time to look after you!
Seeing my amazing uterus made me just as teary!
Now, if you have made it this far, thanks! Aaaand also, you might be wondering why I was going for a pelvic ultrasound in the first place??
I'm going to get real vulnerable with you (even more than I have been yes haha).
For the last mmmm probably 12 months or so I have been experiencing dyspareunia (aka the fancy term for pain during sex, and in my case as well, arousal… told ya you were gonna get to know me ha). Honestly it's been a rollercoaster of some very sucky times.
I have been working with a psych because painful sex can be linked to past trauma, emotional stress and all that fun stuff. But I decided it was time to also get further testing done to rule out anything else physical, infections etc. Especially because while it's been a good 2.5 years since my last horrendous period, it's something that was super common for me in the past (it's actually a big part of why I started Wild Womb Co- but that's another story for another day).
Where to from here?
At this stage the ultrasound has come back 'normal' but I am yet to speak to my GP about the results.
And ultrasounds aren't foolproof, they are valuable in assessing deep infiltrating endo but they can miss superficial endo or endo deposits in areas that aren't checked.
Basically - normal scans can't definitively exclude endo.
So I am curious to hear what my next recommended steps are, whether I go for an MRI or whether a laproscopy is recommended.
In the meantime I am also getting my vaginal microbiome checked (how cool!), and I do suspect there is some pelvic floor work and yoni mapping in my future!
Ultimately, and regardless of the outcome (well actually especially if it is endo), I am going to continue focusing on the foundations for my cycle health because that is going to support my whole system and will only benefit my hormones and this pain.
In fact, this experience has motivated me to run an online masterclass on those fertility foundations - a getting back to basics if you will. Because you don’t need pain (especially period pain) getting in the way of living your life!
We will dive into the habits that I do and that you can do too, in order to have the happiest hormones possible, healthy ovulation and ultimately reduce that menstrual pain! The info will be dropping next week but you can jump on the waitlist HERE!
To summarise my key takeaways from my pelvic ultrasound for endo…
Upon getting the referral - BREATHE
Do some research into imaging centres and ask the following questions
Have they done further training in endo ultrasound?
Will they be checking thoroughly, like behind my uterus?
And ultimately choose somewhere that offers more targeted pelvic / gynacelogical ultrasound
Have a list of questions I want answers to going into the ultrasound (and make sure when booking that they are willing to discuss information and results on the day)
Give yourself heaps of space on the day - before and after the appointment
Next time around I would also request a female sonographer
I really hope that this wild whirlwind experience of mine has supported you and your cyclical journey in some way, shape or form! If you want to leave a comment below it is very welcome, or you can send me a private message through my contact form here. Please also let me know what subjects you want me to write a blog post on and I'll get onto it!
Sending big cycle love your way
Liz
xx
