Preconceptions versus experience of transvaginal ultrasonography in older women

To determine whether women find that having a transvaginal ultrasound scan is better or worse than they had expected.Fifty-four consecutive women in an ovarian cancer screening trial filled in linked questionnaires before and after having a transvaginal ultrasound scan.The women found that having a transvaginal scan was less painful (P = 0.003) and less embarrassing (P = 0.001) than they had expected. They found it less uncomfortable than expected in comparison to having mammography (P = 0.013) or a cervical smear (P = 0.004).Women attending for a transvaginal scan can be reassured that it will not be as painful or embarrassing as they fear, and that it is not as uncomfortable as having mammography or a cervical smear.