When it comes to women's reproductive health, few medical advances outshine ultrasound. This versatile technology allows physicians to both carefully monitor and accurately diagnose your health.
That’s why our team, led by Dr. Daniel Esteves, makes ultrasound a key part of our comprehensive services. Here, we take a closer look at how this state-of-art technology can benefit you.
Compared to X-rays, which are best for taking images of your bones, ultrasounds give us a better look at your soft tissues. That means we can do everything from monitoring a baby in the womb to detecting potential problems in your bladder, ovaries, uterus, cervix, and fallopian tubes.
Not only is ultrasound among the most accurate imaging technologies, but they’re also the most cost-effective and accessible.
Worried about pain? Scared of needles? You’re not alone. The good news is that ultrasound is noninvasive and doesn't require any poking or prodding. And other than a bit of pressure as we move the wand, you shouldn’t feel any discomfort.
With CT scans and X-rays, there’s a risk of exposure to ionizing radiation — but not with ultrasound. It uses the power of sound waves to take images of your soft tissues and comes with virtually no harmful effects.
Ultrasound is a staple in prenatal care, but it’s also used as a diagnostic tool. If you present with symptoms, such as irregular bleeding, cramping, pelvic pain, and bloating, it may indicate an abnormality in your pelvic organs.
Because those symptoms aren’t always easy to diagnose, we often use ultrasound to better understand what’s going on.
During your ultrasound, you recline comfortably on the examination table. Typically, we perform an ultrasound on the outside of your skin. We apply a special gel that promotes better sound wave conduction to the treatment area and move the wand over the part of your body we need to examine.
In some cases (such as an issue with your ovaries), Dr. Esteves may order a transvaginal ultrasound where he carefully inserts the ultrasound wand into your vagina to get an even closer image of your organs. This type of ultrasound also allows Dr. Esteves to examine the muscular walls of the uterus.
Depending on your needs, you may require a sonohysterogram. This involves injecting a saline solution into your uterus, which shows Dr. Esteves if there are any problems with your uterine lining.
If you think you need an ultrasound, don’t hesitate to request an appointment online or over the phone at our Lawrenceville, Georgia, office.
