Role of Ultrasound in Infertility

Ultrasound plays a vital role in infertile patients with difficulty conceiving.

It is infertility specialists use the structures in the female abdomen and pelvis. Ultrasound uses high-frequency sound waves emitted by a probe or transducer, which are bounced back by the organs and tissues of the body, and the reflected sound waves are received by the search. The computer is used to reconstruct the waves into images on the monitor.

Abdominal ultrasounds: A probe that requires a full bladder so that that sound can be transmitted easily into the pelvis. It is used even today for embryo transfers and ultrasound-guided intrauterine inseminations. All other infertility scans are done using transvaginal ultrasound. A long, slim and slender probe is inserted into the vagina. Image quality is superior here in the probe investigation of higher frequency and pelvic organs.

It is painless for the ladies.

The transvaginal ultrasound done on day two or day 3 of periods gives an excellent idea about the uterus and cervix, position of ovaries, egg count in each ovary, presence or absence of fibroids, polyps, other cysts, etc.

All this information is essential for the treating doctor to start the treatment for the conception, which is usually done from D2 or D3.

Also, once the stimulation process is going on, the doctor does frequent scans to check for follicular growth (egg size), endometrial lining (Inner lining of the uterus), and also the signs of egg rupture, so the doctor advised the couple for timed intercourse or intrauterine insemination of washed husband semen into the uterine cavity.

By Doing thorough scans and monitoring it, conception becomes very easy. Once the pregnancy test becomes positive, a transvaginal ultrasound is done to confirm the intrauterine gestation or is extrauterine. Extrauterine pregnancies are called ectopic pregnancies, which are abnormal and require immediate attention to thwart emergencies for the lady.

In males, transrectal scans and Doppler scans are done to know testicular volume and function, presence of any infection, presence of any vascular abnormalities like varicocele, rule out hydrocele, and rule out any other abnormalities.

The ultrasound technique is a real boon for aspiring couples, which is simple, safe, cost-effective, and highly informative to plan further treatment modalities.