Why was my bowel blocking my ovary?

Question

I've had trouble with fibroids in the past. The symptoms are returning so I had an ultrasound. One ovary was hard to find(but they did find it)due to a fibroid,but the other wasn't visible,they said due to my bowel being in the way?! Now I'm not skinny,but I'm not obese either. Why would my bowel be in the way? And would this explain some of the symptoms I've had?(pain during sex,bloating,constipation)

Answer 1

This does not mean anything is wrong with your intestines. This also does not mean you are obese. This just means the bowel was blocking the sound waves, thus not allowing the ultrasound beam to visualize the ovary.

"If you are not pregnant, or still in the early weeks of pregnancy, the uterus (womb) and the ovaries lie deep in the pelvis and are often covered by bowel. Bowel contains gas, and as ultrasound does not pass through gas, it is not possible to see into the pelvis. As the bladder fills, the bowel is pushed up out of the way. Sometimes to see better we need to do a scan through the vagina."

http://www.wcox.com.au/ultrasou.htm

So here are some possiblities. Your bladder was not full enough to push the bowel out of the way. This can occur even if you think your bladder is about to burst. I am surprised on a regular basis when I get a patient out of the waiting room, and they are already complaining that they are about to wet their pants, yet when I start scanning them, they are not nearly full enough.

Or, the fibroid is pushing the uterus (and therefore the ovary on the side opposite of the fibroid) more laterally (to the side of your body instead of the midline), so the full bladder is not helpful. We use the bladder as a window to see through, but if the ovary is pushed to further to your side, the bladder is not able to act as a window.

Or, you are post-menapausal (you don't state your age) and your ovaries are smaller than they were when you were younger. The smaller something is, the harder it is to visualize with ultrasound.

Or, you were just very gassy. That sounds horrible, but there are reasons why you could have been more gassy at that point in time. Was your ultrasound appointment in the afternoon? Everyone is more gassy in the afternoon, compared to the morning. Had you been eating gaseous foods?

I would ask for a vaginal ultrasound. These are done with an empty bladder, and the bowel does not seem to interfer as much when the ovaries are scanned this way. I would try to make that appointment in the morning and try to limit my diet for that morning prior to the exam. But, relax for now. All you know from this study is that you have a fibroid, and one of your ovaries could not be seen....not that your bowel is abnormal. Best wishes.....

Answer 2

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Answer 3

Hello, Karen.
First, contact your healthcare provider and ask about the results and if there will be any follow up regarding the other ovary.
These organs are in close proximity, so it could be reasonable to ask your health care team what they meant by their statement and if it is cause for further investigation.
Below is a link to an image of an average/normal abdominal cavity.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/9684.htm
You can see there's a lot of stuff in there, and much of it is bowel . There are names for the different sections of bowel, (ascending, descending, transverse, and so on). Next, here is a link to an image of average/normal female reproductive anatomy.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/imagepages/9433.htm
Hopefully these links will give a good idea of how the organs are "geographically" related.
As a reference librarian at the Ebling Library for the Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I'm happy to help you with this inquiry! Best wishes to you.

Answer 4

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Why was my bowel blocking my ovary?
I've had trouble with fibroids in the past. The symptoms are returning so I had an ultrasound. One ovary was hard to find(but they did find it)due to a fibroid,but the other wasn't visible,they said due to my bowel being in the way?! Now I'm not skinny,but I'm not obese either. Why...

Answer 5

Overlying Bowel Gas

Answer 6

Have you been diagnosed with IBS or endometreosis? IBS can cause your bowel (colon) to inflame, "blocking" your ovary. Having been diagnosed with IBS myself, I've experienced first hand an inflamed, spastic colon, that is attached with: bloating, constipation, diarrhea...beautiful isn't it? Your colon and ovary are in the same vicinity, which is hard for Docs at time to determine your symptoms ovarian or colon related. The fibroids, also, can contribute to the pain during sex, bloating, constipation. When I'm having an episode of an inflamed colon, a warm pack settled on the area helps settles the spasms.

Answer 7

Your bowel being in the way is nothing to do with your weight. It's nothing to worry about - it would have just been in front of your ovary at the time of your ultrasound, which is understandable as there are a lot of organs crammed into a small space!! I doubt your symptoms are anything to do with that but they do sound like you may have IBS.

Answer 8

Ehm..
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Uterine fibroids are a common health concern among a major population of women. Uterine fibroids are benign, non cancerous tumours that originate within the uterus. They are also called fibroid tumors, leiomyomas, or myomas. They are made of the same muscle tissues as the uterus, though they tend to be hardened. This is possibly because uterine fibroids contain higher levels of estrogen than the surrounding uterine tissues. Some uterine fibroids may be so small that they can't be felt even during an internal examination; some may be large enough to make a prominent bulge in your stomach.
Hope it helps.

Answer 9

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Answer 10

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