Could many of us have been diagnosed earlier with a simple test???

Hi Ladies,

I have a question I haven't seen on here before...to me, it's stating the obvious, but here goes:

I've seen hundreds of posts on here about ovarian masses, endo, fibroids, etc. being 'diagnosed' via ultrasound. My own cyst was, and the radiologist told me they were also doing the vaginal ultrasound because that perspective helped diagnose uterine abnormalities as well.

The Dr's cram yearly mammograms and pap smears down our throats, so why not a yearly ultrasound to see what's going on down there as well?!?

I was told that if my cyst had been diagnosed sooner (as in 'years' ago) it could have been removed laprascopically. Now I'm facing a vertical incision and all that goes with it, because it's grown so large.

And how many sisters with ovarian cancer could have been diagnosed earlier via a routine yearly ultrasound?

My own cyst was asymptomatic, as so many are - and how many of us write off the occasional pain or strange period - having this test yearly *might* find things we aren't aware of or chose to ignore, and find them at a point they are manageable.

Granted, ultrasound isn't foolproof...but neither is a mammogram nor a pap smear! And, my Dr. now does a CA-125 as part of the yearly exam for anyone over 45 - and we all know how unreliable that is!

I've elected to keep my good ovary and asked my surgery Doc if it wouldn't be a good idea to have a yearly ultrasound to keep an eye on it...he said, 'why yes, it would be!' as if it was the first time the thought had ever occured to him!

I don't know...makes sense to me. I'm certainly no doctor, but am curious what anyone else thinks. I just discussed this with a newly-menopausal friend, and she said she was going in for one this week, just for peace of mind like the mammogram gives her.

Yes, I understand that it would be an 'elective' test and wouldn't be covered by most insurance. My crummy insurance doesn't pay for my mammorgrams either and hasn't paid for my pre-op tests, and my two (abdominal and vaginal) sonograms, including radiologist's fees, came to about $200. That would have been money well-spent for me two or three years ago to have found this thing before it became a monster!

I'm curious if anyone knows what 'other' types of things are found by this type of ultrasound (besides cysts, endo, etc.)

Anyone agree with me???

Jordan L

	Quote:
Granted, ultrasound isn't foolproof...but neither is a mammogram nor a pap smear! And, my Dr. now does a CA-125 as part of the yearly exam for anyone over 45 - how reliable is that???

According to my doctor there is a question about the CA-125 test because it can give a false positive when it comes to ovarian cancer. Several women's reproductive disorders can cause a false positive result. Endometriosis, benign ovarian cysts, first trimester of pregnancy, and pelvic inflammatory disease all produce higher levels of CA-125.

So as you can see it is not as difinitive a test as thought.
As with any diagnosistic test there are good and bad that goes along with it.

I have elected to have my ovaries removed due to a strong family history of breast and ovarian cancer.

I agree that there are tests that can be done as part of the yearly exam for women. Weighing their accuracy would be the hard part. Even ultra sounds have a degree of error. If it were not for the Lap I had a month ago I would not even know about my Adenomyosis, and the PID that I have.

Ces.

JordanL,

I agree with you...

After my first ultrasound last year, my GYN discovered the endometrioma on my left ovary (basically endometriosis attached to the ovary). Oddly enough, this was not suspected, we had thought we would find fibroids...We also found a thickened endometrial lining.

I kept my right ovary with my SAH and I am going to have annual ultrasound just to make sure it looks OK. I had no pain, bloating, or other symptoms with the endometrioma. In fact, during my last ultrasound before my SAH, we discovered a small simple cyst on my rignt ovary - also asymptomatic. Thankfully, it was gone at the time of my surgery (a span of less than 2 weeks), so I was able to keep the ovary.

When I asked my GYN about annual ultrasounds on the right ovary, she agreed. I don't think anyone had asked her before...I just want the peace of mind each year, since none of my ovarian cysts have had any symptoms. Makes me wonder if I have had other simple cysts over the years that went away on their own. I know the possible risks of losing this ovary down the road, but for now, I am very happy that I kept it. No HRT, and no surgical menopause.

Scout

P.S. My golden retriever was so spoiled by his many walks during my recovery at home...Now, he mopes if he only goes for one (30 minutes or so) walk a day.

I think a pelvic ultrasound could be very beneficial. I have had those terrible heavy periods for years, had pelvic ultrasounds as fibroids were suspected, never found them, had endometrial abalation 2 years ago and thought yeah- troubles over, no more periods. It was great. On my last visit, July 2004, the Dr. just did the usual palpating check. Everything was found to be normal. Well, by March of 2005 I had a 13x13x9 cm size cyst on my left ovary. I wonder if I had an ultrasound if it would have been caught? Fran Drescher is campaigning for these to be a regular part of the exam- people like me, who carry their weight in their abdomen, make it very difficult for the Dr. to catch abdominal masses by "feel" alone.

Had surgery (different doctor!) and was full of adhesions and endometriosis. It all makes me wonder....

It comes down to cost. The numbers so far don't add up for routine ultrasound screening. A woman can ask for it though. Payment would depend on her insurance or abilitly to pay out of pocket. My doctor could feel my 3cm cyst on pelvic exam. This really depends really depends on the skill of the doc, the location of the cyst, and the amount of abdominal fat a lady has. Lots of variables.

According to my DR endo can't be detected via ultrasound. In my case, my fibroid tumors and an ovarian "mass" were diagnosed through ultrasound. I needed a laparoscopy to determine if the mass was cancer (it wasn't) but the DR found endo once he was able to actually look in there. For me, nothing would have changed if I'd had an ultrasound at an earlier date, but I know it could make a huge difference for many women. Maybe we need to start demanding some changes?

Hi Murphy,

Endo can't be detected via ultrasound? Boy, am I going to hit my 'first' doc with that when I see him this week. Fifteen years ago he ordered my first ultrasound to diagnose endo and he told me I had it! When all my supposed endo symptoms went away with menopause, he told me that was 'normal' with decreased estrogen production...Wish I could dig up those archived test results now!

It wasn't until 'fairview' mentioned it above that I realized Fran Drescher was campaigning for routine ultrasound screening for ovarian abnormalities.

Maybe we SHOULD all get on the bandwagon for that. I mean, who could argue with a group like HS....69,000 women strong. Maybe we HS's should all make it our cause. I know the number of 'members' on this site scare my DH to death (kiddingly) - every day he asks (very tentatively) 'How are the ladies...' He's afraid we're all planning a revolt against medical science (or the world), and knows *we will win!*

Maybe we should think about it!

Thanks,
Jordan L

Hi Jordan,

I think your DH is a wise man...he should be scared! Mine is too! As for the endo/ultrasound issue, I don't know for sure that it can't be detected this way, but that's what my DR says. I have also been given literature that stated the same thing. I would be interested in knowing what your "first" doc has to say this week. Take good care!

MB