Uterine fibroids are very common, and many women don’t even know they have them unless there are complications and/or accompanying symptoms.
What are the Tests to Diagnose Uterine Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are often detected during a routine pelvic exam. Your doctor may feel irregularities in the shape of your uterus that suggest the presence of uterine fibroids.
In general, these are the tests most often given to diagnose uterine fibroids:
- Ultrasound: If your doctor feels what he or she thinks might be uterine fibroids during a routine pelvic exam, then you might be given an ultrasound just to confirm the presence of the fibroids. A transvaginal ultrasound provides more detail due to the probe being closer to the uterus. Sometimes, uterine fibroids are detected during an ultrasound for a different reason, such as prenatal, for example.
- Hysterosonography: This test is a variation of an ultrasound that uses sterile saline to expand the uterine cavity, which makes it much easier to obtain interior images of the uterus. This test might be useful for a woman who has heavy menstrual bleeding, even if a traditional ultrasound showed no uterine fibroids.
- Hysterosalpingography: This particular test uses a dye that highlights the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes on X-ray images. This might be recommended if infertility is a concern. Besides revealing uterine fibroids, a hysterosalpingography can allow your doctor to better determine if your fallopian tubes are open.
- Hysteroscopy: In this diagnostic procedure, your doctor inserts a small, lighted telescope called a hysteroscope through your cervix and into your uterus. Your doctor then injects saline into your uterus, which expands the uterine cavity. This will allow your doctor to examine the walls of your uterus, as well as the openings of your fallopian tubes. A hysteroscopy can be performed as an out patient procedure, in your doctor’s office.
In addition to the tests listed above, your doctor might want to conduct other tests if you are experiencing abnormal vaginal bleeding. He or she might order a complete blood count to find out if you have iron deficiency anemia because of chronic blood loss.
Your doctor may also order blood tests to eliminate the possibility of bleeding disorders, and also to measure the levels of reproductive hormones produced by your ovaries.
Conception & Pregnancy: Complications of Uterine Fibroids
Uterine Fibroids May Cause Infertility
Treatments for Uterine Fibroids
Uterine Fibroids and Fertility: Causes and Risk Factors