Tests

Fibroids are usually diagnosed during a routine pelvic exam. The clinician can evaluate the size and shape of the uterus and surrounding pelvic structures by inserting two fingers of one hand into the vagina while palpating the patient's abdomen above the pubic bone with the other hand. During this exam, a uterus with fibroids often feels enlarged and/or irregularly shaped.

Choose another disease or condition... Allergic Rhinitis Allergies, Food Allergy & Asthma Center Alzheimer's Disease Anxiety Aortic Aneurysms Arrhythmia Arthritis, Osteo- (OA) Arthritis, Rheumatoid (RA) Asthma Atopic Dermatitis Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Back Pain Brain Tumor Bones, Joints & Muscles Center Breast Cancer Brain & Behavior Center Brain Tumor Cancer Center    Brain Tumor    Breast Cancer    Cancer Prevention    Clinical Trials    Colorectal Cancer    Endometrial Cancer    Living With and Beyond Cancer    Lung Cancer    Prostate Cancer    Skin Cancer Cardiomyopathy Cataracts Cholesterol Control Clinical Trials Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) Colorectal Cancer Congenital Heart Disease Congestive Heart Failure (CHF) Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) Crohn's Disease Depression Diabetes Center Diabetes, Type 1 Diabetes, Type 2 Digestive Disorders Center Eczema Endometrial Cancer Erectile Dysfunction (ED) Eye & Vision Center Fibromyalgia Food Allergies Gallstone Disease Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) GERD Glaucoma Hay Fever Headache Heart Center Hepatitis A Hepatitis B Hepatitis C High Blood Pressure Hypertension Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (HCM) Impotence Insomnia Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) Living With and Beyond Cancer Losing Weight Lung Cancer Macular Degeneration Memory Loss Osteoarthritis (OA) Osteoporosis Parkinson's Disease Peptic Ulcer Prediabetes Prostate Cancer Respiratory Disorders Center Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) Sexual & Reproductive Health Center Sinusitis Skin Cancer Sleep Apnea Sleep Center Stroke Type 1 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Ulcerative Colitis (UC) Weight Control MedlinePlus: Uterine Fibroids National Institute of Child Health & Human Development: Uterine Fibroids Clinical Trials: Fibroids Fibroids Related Links Email this page Print this section

Imaging tests can also be useful in confirming the diagnosis or in evaluating profuse or prolonged menstrual flow. Ultrasound uses sound waves to create a picture of the uterus, either when a device is moved across the abdomen or inserted into the vagina. More sensitive tests can be useful for detecting fibroids within the cavity of the uterus, which are frequently missed by traditional ultrasound. Other tests that might be necessary include:

Hysterosonography. This test is a variation on a vaginal ultrasound that provides a clearer picture of what's going on inside the uterine cavity. The ultrasound is performed after a catheter is threaded through the cervix to inject sterile saline solution.

Hysterosalpingography. The uterine cavity is visualized on X-ray after a dye has been injected that highlights the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes.

Hysteroscopy. This test allows direct visualization of the uterine cavity via a small camera attached to the end of a long tube (hysteroscope) that's inserted though the vagina and cervix.

Laparoscopy. The laparoscope, which is similar to a hysteroscope, is inserted through a small incision in the navel, allowing direct visualization of the outside of the uterus and the surrounding pelvic structures.