Should You Get an Abdominal Ultrasound Before Trying to Get Pregnant?

Hello everyone!

I've had my fair share of ultrasound exams for my pelvic organs, but I'd never really thought about the importance of an abdominal ultrasound until I decided I wanted to get pregnant. To be honest, I'd never really had a reason to get one before - nothing was bothering me, so I never really saw the need.

I've actually written a review about a procedure for removing polyps from the uterus before, and I've recently added some new information to it. It turns out that the polyp wasn't fully removed during my surgery, and they left a bit of it behind. Or, it could be that it grew back within three months of the initial surgery because I wasn't prescribed hormone therapy. I'll know for sure after my follow-up appointment and I'll write a separate review about it.

My experience might be helpful to someone, and reading my reviews might make a girl more careful when choosing a doctor (although I picked the best surgeon in my city based on reviews and paid for the surgery, I wasn't lucky). My new doctor before the new surgery was inclined to leave the polyp in place and promised it would all be removed completely and finally. But after researching, I realized the polyp could grow back because I wasn't prescribed a prevention of recurrence, and I didn't know I needed it because I trusted the doctor's experience. And in the end, instead of getting pregnant, I went for the same surgery in another clinic with a different doctor, and I can say the surgery was indeed less painful because it was done using a gentle method.

Maybe someday I'll write another review about polypectomy, but for now, it's hard for me to talk about it. Today, I want to share the consequences of the first surgery and why I needed an ultrasound of the abdominal cavity.

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Why I went for the ultrasound?

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I've been following a healthy diet for ages, and I've written about my own nutrition and how I work on my figure and diet. But everything changed when I decided to get pregnant in September 2023. I went to the gynecologist, and I was shocked to get two diagnoses at once: endometrium pathology and a cyst that needed to be removed with surgery. In November 2023, I had my first surgery to remove polyps, and 10 days later, I started experiencing new problems that I mentioned in my review of the operation (link above). It was a long and painful review, both physically and emotionally. The problem I want to talk about today is just one of them. Before all this, I never had any issues with my digestive system. Occasionally, I'd get bloating after eating certain foods, but it was rare and usually due to foods I don't eat often, like fast food or cabbage or beans. I never had diarrhea, constipation, or any other issues that would make me want to see a doctor. But, as we know, it's the first time for everything.

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My Gut Issues

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I've been dealing with a pretty unpleasant issue since then. I wake up in the morning, grab a glass of water like I always do, and head to the bathroom. But after 10 days of the surgery, I started experiencing some weird issues with my bowel movements. At first, I thought it was just my body adjusting to the surgery, but as the days went by, it started to become a real problem. I was worried that I'd end up with a hemorrhoid on top of everything else.

This went on for December and January, while I was trying to figure out what was going on with my gut health and dealing with a flare-up of my latent herpes simplex virus, which had been dormant until my immune system was weakened after the surgery. The doctors were stumped because they couldn't diagnose it, so they treated me for everything from yeast infections to bacterial vaginosis, but nothing seemed to work. I was miserable, feeling exhausted, apathetic, and depressed. The herpes virus can really take a toll on your mental health, especially when it's living in your nerve endings.

I came home from work, went to bed, and just stopped doing everything – writing reviews, exercising, the whole shebang. I was too exhausted, and to make matters worse, I had a painful tear in my vagina that made every movement a nightmare. With my digestive issues on top of that, I just gave up on trying to go to the bathroom normally. I'd lost interest in sports, which I'd been doing for years, and that could've been affecting my gut motility, my gastroenterologist told me later.

It wasn't until January that I realized I couldn't keep going on like this. I decided to try incorporating more veggies, dried fruits like apricots and prunes, beets, kefir, and ryazhenka into my diet to see if it would help with digestion. And, to my surprise, it did get things moving – but only after a really tough bowel movement. The first one was like, um, sheep's droppings, and the second one was normal. Adding these foods gave me a bit of a boost, but the constipation was still a problem. Something was holding back my gut motility, and that was causing the issue. I'd always been a big water drinker, downing over 2 liters a day.

I decided to try a laxative. At the time, I didn't know much about them and picked Evalar, thinking it was some kind of tea, which wasn't the case. Don't make the same mistake I did – I later found out that you shouldn't drink senna tea (I'm planning a separate review on this, as it's a real gut killer). After drinking this tea, you might end up on the toilet and it's not just a figure of speech. But let's not dwell on the negative – I drank this tea 3 or 4 times, and that's it. Each time, the effect was awful: weakness, wild churning, cramps, and of course, the inevitable result, which happened multiple times a day. You really need to drink it at home, or it'll be a real embarrassment. Senna can slow down bowel movement in the long run, making your gut lazy and uncooperative, so anything with senna is a no-go for me.

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I discovered psyllium in February. It's a type of fiber, and I initially wanted to buy it for baking, but I ended up buying it to drink. Psyllium is recommended to start with 1 teaspoon, gradually increasing the dose, and I chose the 'Endaksi' brand from Ozon. I drank it in the evening, around 5 pm, mixing it with water and following it up with another glass of water. When taking psyllium, it's essential to drink plenty of water (at least 2 liters a day and more) or you'll end up with the opposite effect – constipation.

I thought I'd finally figured it out, and the whole month of February and half of March I was going to the bathroom in the morning feeling perfectly fine and smooth, with no more pellets, and I thought my life was back on track and I'd finally recovered, and I even started planning to 'get off' psyllium, but then in mid-March, out of the blue (my diet remained the same) - veggies, dairy, grains, meat, fish, oats. I wasn't eating anything bad, and if I used to be able to treat myself to fast food, pizza, or sushi, I'd completely stopped allowing myself that, I was only eating healthy foods and hoping my digestive system would get back on track like it used to. But in mid-March, as I said, one beautiful morning, I got hit with the pellets and the damage to my gut, and the pain, burning, and itching in my anus like I had hemorrhoids, and the suppositories again. I was heartbroken, I knew I needed to go see a doctor, and it was just awful. I thought I'd failed, I was so disappointed, and I'd been hoping I could fix the problem on my own.

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Next in March, when I was supposed to take strong meds for genetic herpes and finally start trying for a baby, I saw that my periods were back to being super heavy, irregular, and then there'd be bleeding, and my legs would go weak and I'd feel awful. In March, I went for an ultrasound because I sensed something was off. It had been three months since the polyp removal and first surgery, and I wasn't expecting anything good from the ultrasound since I'd been told the polyp might grow back and that the surgeon might not have removed the stalk. I'll go into more detail about what happened and why I ended up with these non-professionals in a separate review when I discuss the pathology report from the new surgery with my new surgeon. The ultrasound results told me I had new polyps, and I don't even know how to describe how I felt when I left the office – the ultrasound tech just told me to see a reproductive specialist. Meanwhile, I hadn't even tried to get pregnant on my own, thanks for the comments from the doctors, by the way. They love spewing nonsense without even knowing the situation! Anyway, this time I decided not to let it get to me and not to overreact like I did the first time, because that would just create more problems in my body. On April 20th, I had the second surgery to remove the polyps (they used a laser to remove the stalk) and soon I'll have a pathology consultation to decide my next steps.

April rolled around and I had a new operation scheduled, so I decided to get my act together and sort out my stool issues after the surgery. That's when I started taking Forlax. At first, I took 1 packet in the morning before breakfast and 1 teaspoon of psyllium at night, but the constipation still had a tight grip on me. The stool would either come out twice, or it would be normal and soft after the psyllium, but it wouldn't budge. Before the operation, I stopped taking psyllium and switched to 2 packets of Forlax, and everything normalized. It even got better than normal. But then, after the operation, my digestion slowed down again.

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I had already done some tests before the operation (I didn't need to do them for the operation itself), and during this check-up, I got a more thorough examination. After the tests, I found out that my bilirubin levels were high, and 2 doctors told me that constipation could be causing bile stagnation. However, the high bilirubin could also be due to the strong medication I was taking for my genetic herpes, as I had been prescribed some pretty high doses, similar to those given for shingles. Based on the assumption of bile stagnation, I decided to get an ultrasound. I was expecting to be told the diagnosis and then go see a gastroenterologist to get a prescription for bile-softening meds. I was already preparing myself for a bad diagnosis and potential problems with my liver or gallbladder.

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Following a Diet Before an Ultrasound

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I was on vacation after surgery and sticking to the diet wasn't too hard for me. But I really wanted to indulge in some forbidden foods – protein cookies, peanut butter paste, or roasted chicken with a crispy crust, tomatoes, and cucumbers. And it was tough to give up milk too, since it's a staple in my diet.

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Here's what you should avoid from the menu:

yeast-based baked goods,raw veggies and fruits,fried and spicy food,high-fat meats,milk,legumes like lentils, chickpeas, and beans,candies, sugar, pastries,sugar substitutes,juices, fizzy drinks, and alcohol,coffee and energy drinks.\xa0

I ate oatmeal with oat milk and butter, buckwheat with roasted chicken breast, a turkey and carrot soup, and boiled cod. On the second or third day, I had a small amount of Adyghe cheese and zlakovye cookies. I allowed myself one protein cookie. Many people say you don't need to follow a diet, but I wanted to ensure I got quality ultrasound results and a thorough examination of all my organs, so I decided to stick to it. I also continued drinking two packets of Forlax in the morning and evening and went to the bathroom easily and regularly.

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What to Eat 3 Days Before an Ultrasound

Hard-boiled eggs, cooked meats, steamed or poached dishes, lean pork, beef, poultry, and fish, oatmeal, rice, and barley porridges, vegetable or low-sodium broth-based soups, baked fruits, low-fat cheese.\xa0

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But bloating doesn't play nicely with ultrasound, either, because of the bloating, the specialist might not be able to see some organs, so I also bought semetikon and started taking it 3 days before the procedure. I took it by 2 capsules 3 times a day, and on the day of the study, I took 2 capsules without water.

Preparation for diagnostic studies: 2 capsules 3 times a day for the day before the study and 2 capsules in the morning on the day of the study, not drinking water.

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I woke up with a flat stomach on the day of the exam, so the pill must be working, but with some caveats. On the first day of taking it, I felt like a balloon about to burst, and it happened uncontrollably – I just let it all out and was relieved to be at home. By day three, the effect was gone, and my stomach was completely flat again. I'd almost forgotten what it's like to have a flat stomach, and the diet worked, too – baked and roasted foods were a big help. I do eat more calories in my daily life, but I've been avoiding fried foods for years now.

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If you have bloating or gas, I think it's essential to take semetic or something similar before the exam, as it'll help to release the gas and give the doctor a clear view. I also tried espuemizan before a pelvic ultrasound, but I didn't notice any significant effect, and the doctor said the bloating was still there. That's why I decided to try Evalar, which worked better for me, although it's cheaper.

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Day of the ICS

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You can't eat anything in the morning before the ICS exam – it's done on an empty stomach. For me, any morning fasting is a nightmare, as I usually don't eat a heavy dinner and I always want to eat something as soon as I wake up, and I also drink water immediately after waking up. I did drink a glass of water and took some with me to drink after the procedure. In a private clinic, you don't need to bring anything with you – they have everything there, which is very convenient.

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Abdominal ultrasound – a comprehensive diagnostic procedure that visualizes the liver, gallbladder and its ducts, pancreas, spleen, and blood vessels. The examination allows for the detection of tumors, inflammatory diseases, concretions, cysts, and trauma consequences. It's performed in B-mode, and an ultrasound Doppler of the vessels is also done. Sometimes, the abdominal cavity and kidneys are also examined along with the abdominal ultrasound.

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I went for the abdominal ultrasound mainly to take a closer look at my liver and gallbladder after the doctors' comments on my complaints and blood test results. I was already prepared for a diagnosis of bile stasis, which would at least explain my symptoms and issues and give me a clear direction for their resolution, which I had already thought through.

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Price: 1300 rubles. Where I did it: a private clinic Important: preparation before the ultrasound.Features: performed on an empty stomach.\xa0

How the ultrasound went

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This ultrasound was definitely more pleasant for me than the ultrasound of the pelvic organs, which is done transvaginally. Lately, I've been doing it quite often, and every time they tell me something's not right here or there, it starts to get to me mentally, plus it often hurts during the examination (again, due to bloating).

I have to say, the whole ultrasound experience was super comfortable and easy - no discomfort at all. I just had to take off my clothes so they wouldn't get in the way, lie down on the couch, and the ultrasound technician would guide me through it, telling me when to breathe in and so on. I even shared my concerns with him, like my constipation and elevated bilirubin levels, but the free clinic doctor I'd seen for a referral had told me that the bilirubin was only slightly above normal and unlikely to be bile stasis, despite two other docs saying it could be.

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The ultrasound tech took his time to examine all my organs, and I was lucky that I hadn't had any bloating due to my diet and Semeticum, so he was able to get a clear look at everything. During the ultrasound, he said my liver and gallbladder looked fine, and there was only a slight curvature of my gallbladder, which I'd had since birth and wasn't a cause for concern. Although some online info suggests that curvature can cause constipation, he said my gallbladder was in good shape and there were no stones. And it turns out, the answer was right in front of me... and the symptoms were eerily similar.

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Constipation due to gallbladder torsion is characterized by a lack of bile entering the intestine, which becomes stagnant and in some cases completely stops flowing. As a result, fat digestion and absorption are impaired, and stool can become dry, hard. When hardened stool irritates the mucous membranes, blood streaks may appear in the stool, and there's discomfort, pain, and burning in the anal area. The telltale signs of gallbladder torsion include nausea, a bitter taste in the mouth, and a sense of heaviness in the right side. Gallstones can lead to prolonged constipation, often of a spasmodic nature.

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I think these symptoms led two doctors to suspect gallbladder stagnation and malfunction before the ultrasound. After that, I visited a gastroenterologist who listened to my whole story and suggested that my issue might be caused by a stressful situation I experienced before my first surgery. I was prescribed a mountain of medications to help my digestive system, which I'm supposed to take in courses, seeing what works. To be honest, the treatment feels like a shot in the dark, aimed only at relieving symptoms. But I'm hoping to find the right medications and finally get to the root of the problem.

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I was told again that my gallbladder's kink at birth shouldn't cause any issues, and again, if there's a problem with my gallbladder, I'd experience symptoms like right-sided pain and a bitter taste in my mouth, but I don't have those symptoms, so I've decided to leave my gallbladder alone for now and investigate further.

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The kink in my gallbladder is just a peculiarity of its structure, and it doesn't affect the way my gallbladder works or cause any problems.

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I booked a free referral for an esophagogastroduodenoscopy and I'm dreading it after reading reviews about the procedure. The gastroenterologist said there's a slim chance they'll find what's causing my constipation, but I still need to do it because they might find other issues, like ulcers or gastritis. Although I don't have any complaints about my stomach, I have no idea what heartburn feels like since I've never experienced it. I spent a long time thinking about whether to do it privately, as some people even do it under anesthesia, but then I decided to tough it out and do it since I already have the referral. I'll resubmit my bilirubin tests, try the treatment from the gastroenterologist, and hope it helps. But I'm already considering doing a colonoscopy under anesthesia because the issue seems to be with my gut and I'm not sure what's causing it. After all, there could be polyps in my gut.

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I've heard from others who've experienced similar issues, so I'm curious - if you've been through this, share your story in the comments below. I've come across stories where people have spent a small fortune on private tests, including MRIs, only to be told everything's fine and no diagnosis is given. It's like they're being told they have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, but without any real explanation. At this point, it seems like the only way to find the cause is to try the process of elimination, ruling out one test or procedure at a time.

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Possible causes include:

Nervous system disorders and issues with the autonomic nervous system.Hormonal imbalances and disruptions to gut regulation.Issues with the digestive tract.Blood flow problems in the intestines.Lack of physical activity.Prolonged use of antibiotics or certain medications.Surgery on the intestines.Inflammatory bowel diseases.Prolonged periods of immobility.Stress.\xa0

I've been getting back into sports training, which I had to put on hold before my first surgery in November 2023 due to post-op restrictions. Then, I hit another roadblock with a three to four month period where I just couldn't find the energy to do anything, let alone exercise. My gastroenterologist told me that exercise is crucial, especially after meals and not after a nap. I'm also considering stress as a possible culprit, which has been a constant companion since my first surgery. Given that I had to undergo a second surgery while preparing for pregnancy, it's no surprise that stress has become a part of my life. I'm trying to avoid slipping into depression and instead focus on figuring out what's going on with my digestive system. I'm also thinking about getting a hormone test, specifically for women's reproductive hormones, which I'll discuss further with my gynecologist. My thyroid hormone levels were normal during my last check-up.

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THE VERDICT

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I highly recommend getting an ultrasound scan of your abdominal organs without any complaints. It can actually show up deviations in the bile duct, find stones, and that requires taking meds and even surgery. And I know that problems with the bile duct can start causing issues when it's already too late and you need to have it removed. The ultrasound scan also helps detect new growths, so if you haven't had it done yet, I highly suggest it. It's quick and painless, and from now on, I'll be getting it done annually.

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Thanks for reading! ❤

Wishing you all the best of health!