Can Ultrasounds Show Uterine Fibroids

For women who are experiencing symptoms typical of fibroids, such as heavy bleeding, a need to urinate urgently or frequently, abdominal bloating or pain, often the first test that will be ordered by the gynecologist is an ultrasound. This can either be a trans-abdominal ultrasound, the type of ultrasound you may be familiar with if you’ve had a baby, where they look at the uterus and the fibroids from the outside, or a transvaginal ultrasound, where the ultrasound probe is inserted from below to see the fibroids much more closely and in more detail. These are often the first tests that are done and can diagnose not only the presence of fibroids, but also how many there are, where they are located, and if they might be the cause of the symptoms. For patients who could be contemplating minimally invasive treatments, the best of which, uterine fibroid embolization, which we perform here at American Endovascular, an MRI is preferable to an ultrasound. An MRI provides a level of detail which is very important, to ensure a minimally invasive treatment isn’t offered to somebody who might have another reason to need surgery. Learn more at https://americanendovascular.com/blog/