Does a Transvaginal Ultrasound hurt? I'm a virgin and scared!!

Hi honey! What this is a ultrasound device that is similar shaped to a tampon! It is TOTALLY covered with a gel like lubrication! They get you to insert it - OR you can as a FEMALE technician to do it! They are VERY careful with this and it is NOT like a pap test! With a pap test they stretch the cervix open! This is just 1 insert! It shouldn't hurt you at all! You are completely covered and due tot he gel on it, you shouldn't feel too much at all! The transvaginal ultrasounds is the BEST way to see your Uterus, tubes, ovaries etc. So this will give a better picture than an abdominal ultrasound! Don't worry OK? I know it sounds like a HUGE deal and possibly painful - but it isn't! Just try and relax and breathe through it! Tell the technician that you ARE a virgin and you are nervous - she will be VERY gentle with you OK? Good luck honey! And please let me know how you make out! BIG hugs!

Thanks so much! You definately made me feel less nervous. So I went for my ultrasound today and the technician wouldn't do the transvaginal ultrasound because i'm a virgin, she kept saying "you don't want that to take your virginty do you?" but it doesn't take your virginty! (and I think my hymen is broken anyway, not sure, if thats what she was refering too) And she kept asking me if i've had boyfriends and had sex with them, and I kept telling her i've had boyfriends but never had sex with any of them. So i told her that i've had pap tests before and that i'm fine with it if thats the only way to get a diagnosis. But she like refused to do it, so she only did the abdominal one...I hope she can get a clear diagnosis with that! Is that normal for them to turn you away if your a virgin? The ultrasound did look a little bigger then i thought, bigger then what they show on the internet...guess the equipment wasn't as new %-) Weird experience, and it felt awkward!

Yes that was weird?! This is what your doctor ordered, an abdominal one can be done of course - BUT a transvaginal is best! Are you of a different nationality or something? As some people are just plain ignorant to others faiths nationalities and beliefs! See what this test says and IF you doctor wants to send you for a transvaginal then just don't mention it to the next technician and do it yourself! I suppose on the other hand - in this world of lawsuits etc - she might have wanted to make sure that she didn't tear your hymen so you couldn't come back and sue her! It's silly but I suppose it does happen! Did you have to drink tonnes of water or did they do it dry? Each machine is different and has to go by certain standards so this is fine! Also she shouldn't have asked you all those questions - it's none of her business!

Ya thats what I didn't understand, like my doctor wanted it done and explained what a transvaginal ultrasound was and why its benifical and I agreed to it. On the paper I got it said they would do both a abdominal one and then transvaginal so luckily I was prepared for it and drank 5 glasses of water. The lady was Indian, so I guess in her culture a tore hymen isn't good and takes your virginty, and she told me that she told her daughters to never have it done...don't get why shes in that profession then! %-) I guess if I have to do it again I will try and go to a different place because I think she was the only one that did transvaginal ultrasounds.

AHHH!!! That makes so much sense! In fact in certain cultures IF your hymen is gone by the time you get married it is a crime and punishable by death! It is such a crime against women! So I'm sure she was worried! A few years ago there were several nurses that refused to help critical terminal babies - pass away! They went to the media and said horrendous things that everyone jumped on. So then the truth came out that these babies weren't even expected to survive the night etc so they were "helped" along so they wouldn't suffer and the parents were aware and were there with them :'( And a LOT of people thought the same thing as yourself "why would they be in tht profession?" It is a choice and if you don't believe in it then don't do it! So just go to the same place but just mention that this needs to be done and IF she doesn't - or if there is someone else get them - You will be fine - it's good that they you had the water! NOW imagine this while you are pregnant!!!!!! 8-| o.O XD It is INTOLERABLE! So when do you go see your doctor?

Wow!! so sad, its horrible how the world works sometimes :-( Being a woman is not easy! its just weird though because i'm not her culture, so I don't get why she was like that. But I guess it the beliefs that were instilled in her. Ya I don't want to imagine drinking that much and being pregnant...lol...I peed like 4 times in one hour! ummm....well i just got it done so hopefully on monday my doctor will call me to say the results are in, so hopefully sometime this week.

Thanks for talking though, my mom doesn't know whats going on and my friends don't know i'm still a virign...

None of their business! Don't tell anyone about it OK? It makes me angry saying that, BUT in this day and age of sexual promescuity, Virginity IS on the rise, but you don't want to be made fun of for being SO strong! I was a virgin for years longer than my friends, they never knew! So don't worry about that OK? And let me know how you make out OK?

So I got my ultrasound results back and basically it was inconclusive, he said that with the abdominal one the ovaries are far away from the ultrasound that its hard to tell and that with PCOS the cysts are smaller then other cysts so their harder to see and that with the transvaginal one my ovaries are right there to been seen, so I was frustrated because I wanted an answer and he thought it was very weird and not right of them not to preform the ultrasound but he never scheduled me for another one.

Hi honey! I would like you to call the doctors and ask him to phone for another TRANSVAGINAL test! We need to know if you have PCOS and if so how big are they and how many, and then what hormones to put you on to get rid of them!

Whoever said pap tests don't hurt is lying! I find them to be painful, not unbearable but definitely painful.

I went recently for a transvaginal ultrasound and it did not hurt at all, and I was so scared for no reason at all. The initial penetration I think is always a little uncomfortable but once the probe was inside I couldn't even feel it! They always cover it with a condem or lubricate it.

very gentle my ass! And, I AM NOT a virgin either. Make sure the technician knows you're not pregnant, so she can be a little gentle with you. I think, the technician assumes every spread legged woman in front of her is pregnant- jus sayin!!!

Okay so I know this is old, but I don't want other young ladies getting bad info.

 

I had some internal exams performed while I was a virgin, so I can relate to the nerves and discomfort you may feel. Obviously the vaginal canal will be tighter if you're a virgin, so there will be a little bit more pressure. It helps a lot if you just remember to relax. The technicians, if they are doing their job right, should be gentle and professional. I had a transvaginal ultrasound today (no longer a virgin) and it did hurt a little, only at the end when she was looking at my left ovary and had to maneuver the wand at an angle and press on my stomach with her hand. Even then it only felt like menstrual cramps, taking a few deeps breaths and closing my eyes helped until the cramping went away. It took maybe 15 minutes from the time I walked in until the time I left, with the wand only being inside for about 5 minutes. By the time I had walked out to my car, the pain was long gone.

 

Just a few remarks about other people's replies:

- The device is much bigger than a tampon IMO, longer AND wider, but not nearly as wide as the clamps that doctors use when performing pap smears or internal exams. Its about as wide as two fingers and slightly longer. It may press on the cervix, and you will feel pressure if it does, but its not painful at all. The wand is also sterile (either with a condom-like covering or by other means) and lubricated, so you shouldn't be able to feel it moving around once it's in.

- No medical procedure that I've ever heard of "takes your virginity". Virginity is an abstract concept anyway, and is open for interpretation. Yes, my technician did ask me if I was a virgin (as did my doctor), because if you are, transvaginal ultrasounds are normally considered unnecessary (if you read the requisition form, it should read "ultrasound: pelvic - transvaginal unless otherwise advised", so this is why some technicians advise the patient not to have the ultrasound - because it is normally unnecessary unless you are sexually active). However, if your doctor SPECIFICALLY requested one, then the technician should have performed one. She is not a doctor, it is not her call.

- Not only is it okay, its even considered a good sign if your doctor/technician/gyno asks you if you have a boyfriend and if you've had sex with them! Your health is certainly their business! They need to know whether you have a partner (mine asked me as well today) and whether you are sexually active, because if you have one or the other, or both, it will require further medical attention (it could provide information about the patient's promiscuity/monogamy, which is a key concern when it comes to STI transmission, as well as provide information about the patient's mental and emotional health).

- Since these technicians are not doctors, they normally have you sign a waiver or adhere to an agreement before they do the tests to avoid getting sued. They are also not allowed to discriminate against something that would not change the way the procedure is performed such as race. So I don't see why this is even an issue.

- My technician was also an Indian lady, and she saw nothing wrong with the fact that I was a 19 year old sexually active female (or at least if she did, I couldn't tell). If she wants this job, she had to act professional even if she doesn't agree with her patient's choices. I would file a complaint against your technician if she said this is why she didn't examine you. Unless it is a part of the law in the country you are in, her personal beliefs should have no impact on your exam.

- These exams are used on people with all sorts of conditions, so I can confidently say that the technician does not think "every spread legged woman in front of her is pregnant". Even so, I can't see why they would need to be any more gentle with a non-pregnant woman than they would with a pregnant woman.

 

I hope this helps somebody out there! Good luck at your exam, and don't worry, it's a piece of cake!

I hope you dont mind bambi27, but your responses sound quite knowing in this area and wondered if i could talk about my problems too, sunkissed1644 i am so sorry for what you have been going through, never nice to be turned down on an agreement to know whats going on with your body :-(

I have only known about my polycystic ovaries just for a year, and have been through a transvaginal ultrasound, very unpleasant but didnt hurt, and that was when i found out i had polycystic ovaries ...

Recently I was sent to a private hospital and had a male gynaecologist for an physical internal examination, which istantly made me nervous, but it was a hell of alot of difference to the female gynaecologist I went too. for example,

my female gyn didnt look down below for the whole procedure, only to insert and was gentle and made sure I was relaxed, she let me get dressed on my own and asked if i was ready for her to come in.

my male gyn, looked down below the whole procedure, was quite rough and instantly said my pain wasnt down to my polycystic as it didnt hurt my vagina, even though I can feel the pain really bad at times i cant walk, he came in the room when I was down to my underwear and had no privacy to dress on my own, (Isuppose I could of said something, but I was nervous and didnt know what to do)

I felt voilated, but I dont want to seem it is because im being sexist, something just really didnt seem right besides his gender, I think I nearly cried when I came out of the room seeing the male gyn jittering alot, didnt let me speak, he seemed edgy, I was confused

I am being completely honest and so worried, I dont know whether to talk to my doctor about it

Hi, Paigeblue! I know you were looking for Bambi, but I think I can help you with this one. :) First, if your doctor EVER makes you uncomfortable... Even a little bit... you can(and should!)leave. If you have a male gyno, they should usually have a female assistant in the room for YOUR COMFORT, and if not you have every right to request one being present.
I once had to go to the dermatologist and undress for a skin screening with a new male dr. In the practice... Talked to him... He gave me the creeps... And I refused to let him see below my gown, so dont worry about feeling Awkward. . Their job is to make you feel safe, not violated. If you think this guy is a creep, there are steps you can take to report him so other women will not find themselves in your same position! I would advise you to talk to your primary care psysician first, and let him or her, who you already feel comfortable with, walk you through what you can do! Good luck, and I am so sorry that you had to feel that way! :(