Pelvic Ultrasound: How To Prepare

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How To Prepare

Tell your health professional if you have had an X-ray with contrast material (such as barium) within the past 2 days. Barium that remains in the intestines can interfere with the ultrasound test.

Wear loose clothes for the pelvic ultrasound. You may need to remove all your clothes below the waist and put on a gown before the test.

If you are having a biopsy or a special procedure during the ultrasound, you may need to sign a consent form.

Talk to your health professional about any concerns you have regarding the need for this test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will indicate. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form (What is a PDF document?) .

Transabdominal ultrasound

If transabdominal ultrasound is done, your health professional will ask you to drink 4 to 6 glasses of juice or water about an hour before the test to fill your bladder. A full bladder pushes the intestines (which contain air) out of the way of the pelvic organs. This makes the ultrasound picture clearer. If the ultrasound is being done in an emergency situation, your bladder may be filled with water through a thin flexible tube (catheter) inserted into your bladder.

Transrectal ultrasound

If a transrectal ultrasound is done, you may need an enema about an hour before the test. Tell your health professional if you are allergic to latex so that a latex-free cover can be put on the transducer before it is used.

If a man is having a biopsy of the prostate gland, he may be given antibiotics for a day before the test.

Transvaginal ultrasound

If you are having a transvaginal ultrasound, tell your health professional if you are allergic to latex so that a latex-free cover can be put on the transducer before it is used.

If you are having only a transvaginal ultrasound, do not drink any fluids for 4 hours before the test. You will not need to drink fluids to fill your bladder for the test as you do in a transabdominal ultrasound.

If both a transabdominal and transvaginal ultrasound will be done, the transabdominal ultrasound usually will be done first.

Last updated:	June 22, 2007
Author:	Maria G. Essig, MS, ELS
Reviewed By:	Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine, Paul D. Traughber, MD - Radiology
Editors:	Susan Van Houten, RN, BSN, MBA, Pat Truman, MATC