While every woman will experience menopause differently, there are some common symptoms such as irregular bleeding, hot flushes, and joint pain that are associated with this significant stage of life. However, it can be difficult to distinguish between menopausal symptoms and other health-related issues. Our highly skilled team offers detailed gynaecological ultrasound scans that can assess everything from your pelvic organ health to your ovarian reserve and ovulation status, all of which go through significant changes during perimenopause or menopause. Findings from our ultrasound scan, along with details we can gather by talking with you about your symptoms, can help us to shape a personalised treatment plan suited to your needs. This might involve hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or certain changes that you can start to make to your diet and lifestyle.
Do Ultrasound Scans Help Recognise Early Menopause?
Early menopause, occurring before the age of 45, affects a significant portion of women, and yet it often goes undiagnosed, or misdiagnosed as something else. Pelvic ultrasound scans, particularly 3D scans, can play a crucial role in diagnosing early menopause, Additionally, if you want to have a child, or have been trying to conceive unsuccessfully, these scans can help to pinpoint the issues regarding fertility, and be the first step to unlocking more effective ways to help you start a family, such as IUI, IVF, or IVF with donor eggs. In essence, by evaluating ovarian reserve and follicle count, specialists can formulate tailored treatment strategies to address your individual needs effectively.
How can an Ultrasound Scan Help You to Monitor your Body’s Response to HRT?
HRT, while beneficial for many women,requires careful monitoring to ensure that you’re taking the right amount, and the type that’s right for you. A gynaecological ultrasound serves as a vital tool in monitoring your response to HRT, especially in terms of checking any abnormal bleeding, which can be a common side effect at the beginning. By assessing endometrial thickness and evaluating the impact of HRT on your pelvic structures, an ultrasound scan can help to fine-tune and optimise your HRT, while ruling out more serious conditions.
Can a Pelvic Ultrasound Scan Find the Cause of Abnormal Bleeding?
If you’re experiencing abnormal bleeding in post-menopause, you should visit the doctor as soon as possible. In many cases, this will be caused by polyps, or a benign condition that can be identified with an ultrasound scan. Very occasionally, though, it can be due to pre-cancerous or cancerous changes within your endometrium, which is why it is important that you seek a thorough assessment or diagnosis of your situation as soon as possible.
During your scan, we’ll give you a thorough examination of your uterine and pelvic structures, and be able to identify hormonal imbalances or uterine pathologies, such as endometrial polyps. Whatever the reason for abnormal bleeding in menopause, or post-menopause, an ultrasound scan will give you more clarity, and our team can recommend next steps based on their assessment.
Do You Need a Referral for a Menopause Scan?
No, there is no need for you to have a referral, and we can often find a same-day appointment for you, should you wish. We might ask to share our report with your GP or gynaecologist, as this will help to ensure that all of the healthcare professionals you engage with have the information they need to provide you with the best care.
What Should You Expect at Your Menopause Scan?
We always want you to feel entirely comfortable during your visit to our clinic, and have the time and opportunity to ask as many questions as you want to. Our unhurried ultrasound scan appointments mean we can address your concerns, and give you the information you need to make informed decisions about managing symptoms or treating conditions.
Typically, we carry out menopause ultrasound scans transvaginally as this gives us the best visibility and imaging of your pelvic area. We perform every stage of the ultrasound with care and expertise: during your appointment we’ll insert a slim probe with a lubricated latex cover into your vagina, which should cause minimal discomfort. We’ll then move the probe around to capture images of your pelvic organs, talking you through everything we’re seeing, as we see it.
Will You Need Further Tests Following Your Ultrasound Scan?
Depending on your situation, we might recommend that you have some supplementary tests such as a blood test, to gain more insight into our findings. These tests can shed light on your hormone levels (including FSH, which is found in higher levels in menopause), and complement ultrasound findings, so that we can create a more tailored treatment plan for you.
What Additional Support Around Menopause Can You Access at Our Clinic?
We believe that by taking a holistic approach to women’s health, we can give you the best care suited to your needs. Every woman is different, and the symptoms you experience during menopause should be treated as unique. Our medical expertise and care mean that we are able to help you manage everything from changes in mood, to hot flushes, to irregular bleeding. Our pelvic ultrasound team works with other specialists in the clinic – including gynaecologists and endocrinologists – so that should you need further care, you can access this right away.
Make an Appointment for a Menopause Ultrasound Scan
To find out more, please call 020 7244 4200 or you can make an appointment online
