ACCEPTABILITY BY PATIENTS OF TRANSVAGINAL SONOGRAPHY IN THE ELECTIVE ASSESSMENT OF THE FIRST-TRIMESTER FETUS

The acceptability of transvaginal sonography (TVS) for visualization o f first-trimester fetal anatomy was investigated in 160 women sequenti ally attending a routine dating scan clinic at 12-13 weeks' gestation. All women underwent transabdominal sonography (TAS) in the first inst ance to assess gestational age. Of these women, 88.1% agreed to underg o TVS. The main reasons for declining were fear of miscarriage (42.1 % ) and discomfort (36.8%). With TVS, 51.8% described no discomfort, 47. 5% mild and 0.7% marked discomfort. Of the women who underwent TVS, 95 % said that they would have no concerns about a further TVS in another pregnancy. Of those women who had previously had TVS (11.9%), all agr eed to have TVS in this pregnancy and experienced significantly less c oncern about the procedure than did those who had never had TVS before . TAS was associated with discomfort and inconvenience only if women t ried to fill their bladder prior to the scan. In conclusion, TVS is ac ceptable and well tolerated by an unselected pregnant population. Acce ptability rates for TVS should improve as its use becomes more widespr ead.