Transvaginal ultrasound scan

An ultrasound scan is a procedure that uses high frequency sound waves to create a picture of a part of the inside of your body.

The ultrasound scanner has a probe that gives off sound waves. The probe looks a bit like a microphone. The sound waves bounce off the organs inside your body, and the probe picks them up. The probe links to a computer that turns the sound waves into a picture on the screen

When you have a transvaginal ultrasound scan the probe is put into the ​vagina​ . The scan can show changes in your ​womb​ , ​ovaries​ , and other areas of the ​pelvis​ . For example, thickening of the womb lining.

A transvaginal ultrasound scan shouldn't be painful but can cause some discomfort. You might have it at one of the following:

• your GP surgery

• local community clinic

• in your hospital x-ray or imaging department

• in the outpatient clinic at the hospital

Other tests

Some hospitals have specialist ​post menopausal​ bleeding clinics where you might have other tests on the same day if you need them. 

If you have abnormal changes in your womb, you’ll need a biopsy to find out the cause. A biopsy involves your doctor taking samples of the womb lining. They send them to a laboratory so they can be looked at closely under a microscope.

Read about biopsies to check for womb cancer