If you wonder if and why you should get a pelvic ultrasound, we have the answer. Getting regular check-ups and physicals with your physician is important for long-term health. Seeing your doctor once a year at minimum will let you know what areas you need to improve on. The visits will also help the doctor head off any diseases or threatening conditions, so they don’t become life threatening. Part of those exams should include an ultrasound of a specific part in the body.
There are different kinds of ultrasound that examine specific areas of the body, but the same machine can perform them all. An ultrasound machine works by sending sound waves through the body. Those waves return to the transponder and computer to create an image. Doctors and medical professionals use these images to diagnose patients. Different scans will check for different ailments. For example, a renal ultrasound checks the urinary system, namely the bladder and kidneys. A carotid aortic ultrasound looks for blood flow blockages in the neck.
An important ultrasound specifically for women is the pelvic ultrasound. This is the ultrasound most people know because it’s mostly used for prenatal health. During pregnancy, a doctor will order a series of ultrasounds to monitor the baby’s health. Doctors conduct them at regular intervals in the pregnancy so that the doctor can see the fetuses’ development, check for abnormalities, and determine the gender.
Pelvic ultrasounds also benefit women when they’re not pregnant, as a pelvic ultrasound is good for more than just examining the progress of a baby. Pelvic ultrasounds allow doctors to check on a woman’s reproductive system and check for cancerous lumps. It also allows for a more complete examination of all the organs in the pelvic area. Ultrasounds can’t give a 100% diagnosis of disease, but a trained medical professional can recognize any abnormalities in the image. They will know if something is amiss, and they’ll usually order more tests. They also can help examine the ovaries, uterus, bladder, and prostate gland. These images can help detect ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and occult inguinal hernias in women.
