Re: Vaginal Ultrasound for a Virgin
From: NWeber (anonymous@obgyn.net)
Thu Oct 23 11:19:14 2008
Hi Z,
I'm really sorry to hear your exam went badly, but I did want to offer
some insight on the transvaginal ultrasound.
I have had probably 10 or more of these done since my diagnosis for
endometriosis. Keep in mind, no ultrasound will be a true diagnosis for
endo. I have these ultrasounds done to detects cysts on my ovaries.
Even those are sometimes hard to detect through ultrasound. MRI is an
option some doctors use, but not many, I was told by my doctor that
insurance companies like to fight using this test, because it often
leads to no diagnosis. You could always ask your doctor and see what
he/she says about this option.
The ultrasound wand is very big and large and does hurt. I am not a
virgin, and it is painful for me. They usually have to place this way
up there to get a true view of things. Often your bowels and ovaries
move and they have to push them out of the way to look around. Plus, if
you have adhesions, this can cause more pain.
I would think your best option at this point would be to ask for a
laproscopy to get a true diagnosis of your endo. This is the only 100%
way to be sure. Also, after your laproscopy you should look into
sending your records to an endo specialist for an opinion. There are
many options for this, and some free!
Hope this helps :)
At Wed, 22 Oct 2008, bren wrote:
>
>Hi "Z",
>First of all, good for you for you choice in "saving" yourself for that
>special someone. If your obgyn does not respect this or is not treating
>you the way a "doctor" should be, I would look into finding another
>obgyn until you find one who respects you and treats you well. As for
>the ultrasound, I only ended up having the "transvaginal" u/s because my
>bladder was not full enough. Initially I was supposed to just have a
>regular pelvic ultrasound in which the tech just puts the "wet gunk"
>onto your pelvis and rubs the "thingy" (sorry I don't know what it's
>called) on top of your pelvis. My instructions stated that I drink
>certain amount of water 2 hours before the u/s so that by the time of
>the appt. the bladder is full. However, I guess I didn't drink enough
>and the tech said that my bladder wasn't full enough after trying the
>ultrasound on top of my pelvis, so then she had to go in vaginally w/
>that "stick"..lol..sorry about my vocabulary...You should ask about
>this...but if you do have this u/s, make sure you drink A LOT of water 2
>hours before (right before or even an hour before will not work)...You
>HAVE TO have a full bladder or else the tech won't be able to proceed w/
>the u/s except for the vaginal way. Also, it's normal to have some pain
>or discomfort w/ anything going up your cervix, but "excruciating" pain
>where you are in or near tears is not normal...Also, endometriosis
>usually cannot be diagnosed through an ultrasound...even an MRI is not a
>good tool for diagnosing endometriosis. The only way to get a 100%
>diagnosis is by laparscopy, which is determined by your doctor once he
>suspects endometriosis by a pelvic exam, your medical history, and
>symptoms and @ times after trying med. treatments such as birth
>control, etc once endometriosis is suspected. As for me, the ultrasound
>and MRI only detected a retroverted (tilted) uterus & some free fluid in
>my cul de sac and didn't even detect the adhesions & scar tissue I had.
>Also, even after getting a 2nd opinion & had a pelvic exam along w/ the
>rectal-vaginal exam, I was "unofficially" diagnosed w/ endometriosis
>because of a lot of tenderness and nodules that were felt posterior my
>uterus. My doctor also went by my medical history and symptoms. He was
>going to initially have me on Lupron & then last minute changed his mind
>and had me start a higher dose of Yasmin BC, which I couldn't handle b/c
>of the side effects. Then he had me switch to progesterone only BC 5mg,
>which didn't give me any noticeable neg. side effects and also decided
>that it would be best to schedule a laparoscopy surgery to check for
>endo. Well, hope this helps and remember, if u are not happy w/ your
>obgyn or any dr. in that matter, I really think you should find a new
>one until you are happy. He/she should not be making you feel
>uncomfortable or worse than you already are feeling. Sorry for such a
>traumatic experience(s). Hope things get better. Take care & let me
>know if you have any questions & keep posted of any news. =) Wishing
>you luck & everyone better & pain free days.*** Sincerely, Bren-
>At Wed, 22 Oct 2008, Z wrote:
>>
>>My first transvaginal ultrasound happened this morning and it was a
>>traumatic experience, in the string of many unpleasant OBGYN experiences
>>that I've had as a virgin. I'm treated with less kindness and less
>>respect because of my choice, rather than more consideration and
>>gentleness. I have to get this exam in order to diagnose endometriosis.
>>When the technician pulled out the wand, a good twelve inches long and
>>over an inch wide, I knew I was in trouble. It looked more like a
>>dildo, with a flat head, and I knew we weren't going to get anywhere.
>>
>>She asked me if I would like to insert it, but since I had no idea what
>>to expect, I said she knew what she was doing, it would be best if she
>>did it. So she inserted, and only got it an inch or two in, and started
>>twisting it. The pain was excruciating, as if she was grinding up the
>>wall of my vagina. I was in tears. Finally she took it out and led me
>>out, and said we hadn't even been able to do the exam. She didn't even
>>look me in the eye.
>>
>>I dressed automatically, totally shocked, feeling humiliated, like a
>>failure, like I had been violated. I felt I'd blown my last chance at
>>having a fair diagnosis, and was met with no warmth or kindness after
>>this experience. I feel dejected, scared. I wasn't prepared for this.
>>Now I don't know what options I have. Are there ultrasound machines for
>>virgins like me, who are in their thirties (I'm 31) and can't take that
>>big probe? Was that machine old, are there more modern ones?
>>
>>At Fri, 8 Jun 2007, D wrote:
>>>
>>>Yes - there are guys out there who can be understanding and even helpful
>>>dealing with endo! I got together with my boyfriend just weeks after my
>>>pain started a couple years ago, and although when we first got together
>>>sex wasn't too painful yet, it was only a few months until it started to
>>>become a problem. Of course, endo is a progressive disease, and I've
>>>been waiting for my insurance to change so I can have a lap with a
>>>specialist. In the meantime, the pain including with sex has just
>>>gotten worse and worse. We've had sex once in the past 4 months, and
>>>probably once in the 4 months before that, and I initiated it both times
>>>- he won't make "demands" on me because he doesn't want to hurt me. He's
>>>never complained, not once - and I know he's got to miss it!
>>>
>>>So YES! You can find man who will want to be with you, no matter what!
>>>And really, you shouldn't ever settle for anything less than that. There
>>>is NOTHING wrong with being a virgin - I lost my virginity when I was
>>>16, and have often wished I didn't do it so early - I didn't love him,
>>>and it wasn't like the sex was any good anyway! All I did was set myself
>>>up for more meaningless encounters I rather regret. It's pretty easy
>>>for me to imagine that those who talk virginity down may have some
>>>regrets about how they lost their own...
>>>
>>>About the pain - I doubt you have a low pain tolerance because endo can
>>>be excruciatingly painful! You don't say here is you are having other
>>>problems with pain, but just in case, this is site has a lot of info
>>>about pain and pain management:
>>>http://www.painfoundation.org
>>>
>>>When you are with a partner you love and trust who will work through it
>>>with you, it will be a lot easier - and a LOT more fun than an
>>>ultrasound!
>>>
>>>At Fri, 8 Jun 2007, anonymous wrote:
>>>>
>>>>Hi Nisi
>>>>Your not the only one with these fears. A couple months back I needed a
>>>>transvaginal ultrasound and it was painful and we couldn't do it. I'm
>>>>sure the large endometrioma I had didn't help the situation at all.
>>>>I'm also a virgin(26)iop and have been petrified at the thought of
>>>>loosing my virginity. I think I have a very low pain tolerance. I hate
>>>>to admit it but I've never even had a pelvic exam. This is not usually
>>>>something I really talk about at all.
>>>>I'm glad someone brought this topic up.
>>>> At Fri, 8 Jun 2007, Nisi wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>I stumbled on this topic today. Wow it is so comforting to hear someone
>>>>>else has this same fear. Although I wish we didn't. Every time I have
>>>>>a vaginal ultrasound the pain is HORRIBLE. It makes me feel that my
>>>>>body is not meant to be sexual because I can't imagine feeling anything
>>>>>but pain "down there." The responses to "wait for the right guy" is
>>>>>encouraging. I hope he's out there. In this society there is so much
>>>>>stigma surrounding virginity after a certain age, couple that with the
>>>>>pain of endo and then I just get depressed. I keep wondering how the
>>>>>first time will be in comparison to the ultrasound. I'm really glad to
>>>>>read the responses on here.
>>>>>
>>>>>At Sat, 5 May 2007, Eve wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>I agree with Jessica and the pap. It has always hurt me. I have found
>>>>>>that the worse my endo gets, the worse the pap feels (or maybe my new
>>>>>>doc is a little rough).
>>>>>>My last Vaginal Ultrasound hurt too! The tech was looking for endo cyst.
>>>>>>I thought is was normal for it to hurt cause my endo was so bad. Maybe
>>>>>>I'm wrong.
>>>>>>Don't worry about the sex for now. Like the girls have said, you
>>>>>>definitely need to wait for the right guy. You need someone who will be
>>>>>>patient and understanding.
>>>>>>Eve
>>>>>>
>>>>>>At Sat, 5 May 2007, Jessica wrote:
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>The Vaginal ultrasound should not have hurt, yes a little uncomfortable
>>>>>>>but not hurt, and like kristy said I think its normal procedure for the
>>>>>>>tech to let you insert the probe. The pain you felt is not normal. I
>>>>>>>think you should def talk to your gyno to get to the bottem of things.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Now onto sex and paps. I lost my virginty at 17. I remember it hurting
>>>>>>>so bad my hands and feet went numb lol. Little did I know that I had
>>>>>>>endo at the time and my boyfriend was more "well endowed" than most. Sex
>>>>>>>hurts a lot less now but thats because there are positions and diff
>>>>>>>techniques you can use if you do find yourself in pain(We can get
>>>>>>>further into that when the time comes if you like)
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>As for pap smears. My first was def uncomfortable and hurt slightly.
>>>>>>>This was performed by my GP. when I started getting endo symptoms and
>>>>>>>saw a real gyno they started getting worse. Maybe its all in my head or
>>>>>>>maybe the dr.s performing them are trying to see how bad my pain
>>>>>>>actually is. I dont know if I agree with Kristy when she says they
>>>>>>>shouldnt hurt at anytime because mine do. That could just be me though
>>>>>>>because they prob are not ment to hurt and like she said if they do tell
>>>>>>>them to stop. Sex, paps, and U.S. are diffrent for everyone. Those
>>>>>>>are my opinions. I also think if you wait and have sex with someone you
>>>>>>>are completley comfortable with the pain will be minimal and less akward
>>>>>>>to tell him to slow down or stop if there is pain : ) Dont be scared
>>>>>>>about your first time everyone goes through it with the same fears
>>>>>>>Jess
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>At Sat, 5 May 2007, Kristy wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>You are still a virgin hun, even though you had a transvaginal
>>>>>>>>ultrasound. What you felt with pain there was the breaking of the
>>>>>>>>hymen. The hymen can break because of a fall, or as in my case a pelvic
>>>>>>>>exam and pap smear at age 18 when the dr I had at the time used a
>>>>>>>>regular sized speculum to do it. We didn't know then what we know now
>>>>>>>>that there are speculums designed for doing exams on virgin women.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>A virgin in the proper sense of the term is a woman who has never had
>>>>>>>>sex although I know the word means different things in different
>>>>>>>>cultures. But in this sense of the word you are still a virgin.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>I am a 35 year old virgin and I have gotten transvaginal sonograms on a
>>>>>>>>number of occasions. When I have had them done in the dr's office the
>>>>>>>>tech inserts the probe but knows how far she can go so that it doesn't
>>>>>>>>hurt so much as far as insertion and it actually didn't hurt.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>When I had to have an ultrasound on Wed of both the abdominal and
>>>>>>>>vaginal kind the tech handed the probe to me so that I could insert it
>>>>>>>>myself.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>A pap smear should not be hurting at any time. If it does that means
>>>>>>>>that either one is tense (because of nerves at getting it done so they
>>>>>>>>need to relax), the dr is too rough (you can tell them to stop) or there
>>>>>>>>is something wrong such as an infection.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>The pap smear is a very simple test to do. They take a special brush to
>>>>>>>>get some of the cells from the cervix to send off to a lab for analysis.
>>>>>>>>The test only takes a few minutes to do. There may be a bit of bleeding
>>>>>>>>for two days afterward but this is normal because the brush has
>>>>>>>>irritated the cervix a bit.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>But as I said a pap smear and even a pelvic exam should not hurt but if
>>>>>>>>they do it is for the reasons I gave above. I'm sorry you were
>>>>>>>>traumatized by this experience but what you felt was your hymen (the
>>>>>>>>thin layer of skin that is around the vaginal opening) break. You may
>>>>>>>>notice a bit of bleeding from this too and that is normal.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>--
>>>>>>>>=====
>>>>>>>>Kristy :)
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>http://www.geocities.com/sokokl/Kristysstory.html
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>--
>>>>>Nisi
>>>>>
>>>--
>>>Find an endo specialist in the ERC's EndoDocs group:
>>>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EndoDocs/
>>>
>>>Try an excellent endo support group:
>>>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/erc/
>>>
>>>Info on pain management:
>>>http://www.painfoundation.org/
>>>
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