At Physicians to Women, our ultrasound technologists are fully accredited by American Institute of Ultrasound Medicine (AIUM) and the American Registry for Diagnostic Medical Sonography (ARDMS). We can offer 2D and 3D/4D imaging views for obstetric or gynecologic evaluation.
An ultrasound may be required for your care. Most scans take between 20 and 60 minutes to complete. Ultrasound evaluation is not normally painful, and there is no noise from the machine during a scan. In most cases, no special preparation is needed by patients for their visit besides wearing loose-fitting and comfortable clothing on the day of evaluation. For a scan during pregnancy, and especially early pregnancy, the patient should drink plenty of water and try to avoid urinating for some time before the scan because when the bladder is full the scan produces a better images of the uterus.
External ultrasound
The sonographer puts a lubricating gel onto the patient's skin and places a transducer over the lubricated skin. The transducer is moved over the part of the body that needs to be examined. The patient should not feel discomfort or pain, only the transducer over the skin. During pregnancy, there may be slight discomfort because of the full bladder.
Internal ultrasound
If the internal reproductive organs need to be evaluated, the transducer may be placed in the woman's vagina. Internal ultrasound scans are less comfortable than external ones. This type of scan is typically required for good imaging in patients up to 12 weeks pregnant and in obese patients.
