Regular health check-ups are essential to make sure your health has no problems. During pregnancy, prenatal visits are even more important.
One of the examination techniques used in this procedure is ultrasound exams. Ultrasounds can provide your doctor with information about the health conditions of your baby.
But is it fine to feel sore after ultrasound?
Mothers might have many worries while pregnant, and usual pain could lead to a high level of anxiety. If you are having concerns about ultrasound examinations, this post could help.
We’ll give you explanations for abdominal pain after ultrasound and how you handle it to ensure the safety of your unborn babies. Let’s get started!
What Is An Abdominal Ultrasound?
Ultrasound imaging – one of the most common examination techniques – uses a transducer (ultrasound probe) that emits high-frequency sound waves to examine the organs in the abdomen.
The transducer is put on your skin, and ultrasound waves travel into the body to internal structures and organs.
The sound waves hit organs and bounce back to the transducer. These reflected waves will be processed by the transducer and converted by the computer into images of tissues or organs in the abdomen.
Sound waves move at different speeds, varied by the tissue they encounter. Specifically, bone tissues let the wave pass through at the fastest pace, while they will travel through air most slowly.
An ultrasound technician will apply a layer of ultrasound gel to the skin and the transducer. This allows the transducer to move smoothly over the skin while eliminating air in between.
Ultrasound probes may be put into the body through the gastrointestinal system, vagina, or blood vessels to improve picture quality.
The ultrasound machine will examine the information from the sound waves reflected off structures inside the body.
Can You Be Sore After Ultrasound?
NO. Most ultrasounds are non-invasive (no needles or injections are used), so there is no pain. You should also not experience any side effects.
Patients frequently eat and drink normally and resume regular activities immediately following an outpatient scan.
Does A Ultrasound Hurt?
As mentioned, there is no harm to the body of the patient or the doctor operating the ultrasound device when exposed to the sound waves in diagnostic ultrasound.
Although the abdominal ultrasound procedure is painless, having to lie still for the duration of the procedure can be uncomfortable for the patient.
Can You Have Cramps After Ultrasound?
Yes, but it’s a rare case. Your daily activities won’t be affected by this medical evaluation method. But sometimes, you might feel pain after ultrasound abdomen.
Cramps can happen in some of the following situations:
- Before the ultrasound, you ate something that caused the stomachache.
- You went strictly and intensively on a diet, such as a 21-day fix, which led to disorders and cramps if applied inappropriately.
- Diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis, colitis, and irritable bowel syndrome, caused abdominal pain coincidentally at the time of the ultrasound. You can mistakenly believe that abdominal pain or cramps are caused by ultrasound.
- Because in the first prenatal visits, the doctor uses the transducer ultrasound method, which can affect the cervix or bladder, causing increased reflexes of the bladder or digestive tract reflexes.
- The movement of the fetus during or after the ultrasound can also cause abdominal pain and cramps.
- Due to labor preparation: In the last weeks of pregnancy, sometimes a woman may experience uterine contractions or fetal kick or movement to adjust the position of the fetus.
At this time, pregnant women can feel pain in the abdomen. Ultrasound can also cause mechanical stimulation of the uterine muscles, causing the uterus to increase contractions.
- The doctor’s ultrasound technique is too forceful. Also, improper technique will cause the uterus and fetus to be stimulated much, causing you to have a stomach ache or cramp.
What Are The Benefits Of An Abdominal Ultrasound?
Can Detect Many Health Problems
Abdominal ultrasound can assess the location and size of structures and organs within the abdomen.
The doctor can also use it to examine the abdomen to see if there are cysts, tumors, abscesses, blockages, fluid in the abdomen, blood blockages in blood vessels (clots), and infection.
Abdominal ultrasound is also used to measure the abdominal aorta size to identify an aortic aneurysm. Kidneys, ureters, and stones in the gallbladder can also be detected using ultrasound.
In case of pregnancy, an ultrasound can help you find out you were pregnant and keep track of the development of unborn babies.
No Pain
You shouldn’t feel any pain during ultrasound imaging. Provided that the technician is professional and follows the right procedure, there won’t be any harmful effects on your physical body and health.
Widely Available
Ultrasound is more widely available, simple to use, and less costly than most other imaging techniques. You can easily find this physical exam in almost any health provider.
Real-Time Imaging
Because it offers a picture of the tissues inside your abdomen, your health conditions can be reflected in the most precise way.
Frequently Ask Questions
Are There Any Risks Related To Ultrasound?
Abdominal ultrasound is a technique that does not use radiation and does not cause discomfort when an ultrasound transducer is applied to the skin.
The risks may also depend on the specific condition of the patient. Therefore, you should talk to your doctor about your medical condition before performing an abdominal ultrasound.
In addition, certain conditions or factors can affect ultrasound results, such as severe obesity, residual barium in the intestines from recent surgery, and intestinal gas.
How To Deal With Abdominal Pain After Ultrasound?
If the pregnant mother is facing abdominal pain, she should immediately contact the treating doctor or the nearest medical facility to receive timely advice and help.
Expectant women should return to the hospital for examination or complete bed rest and wait for guidance from a specialist.
In some cases where there are signs of a threatened miscarriage, the mother may have to stay in the hospital to receive special care and take hormonal contraceptives.
In addition, if the doctor allows the pregnant mother to leave the hospital, she should rest completely and minimize movements.
You should have someone by your side to take care of and support you with food and mental encouragement.
Conclusion
Ultrasound technology is extremely important for the early detection of pathological sign
. This technique is a non-invasive, safe, and effective imaging method that assists doctors in diagnosing and treating diseases, and it won’t make you feel sore after ultrasound.
If you feel uncomfortable or in pain after this medical procedure, think of other external factors instead of blaming the ultrasound.
When the pain persists for a few days without any clear reasons, visit the doctors immediately for proper treatment.
