Right ovary not seen on transvaginal scan

[Endowarrior36]

Hello, I had a trabsvaginal ultrasound scan as advised by my clinic on the first day of my period on Friday. The scan showed that i have 4 small follicles on my left ovary. There is also an endometriosis cyst and hydrosalpinx present. My right ovary however couldn't be seen. I have had 3 scans within the last 3 months and both ovaries could be seen. The most recent scan was 6 weeks ago. He also said that he couldn't see any hydrosalpinx on the right hand side. He said my right side was "quiet".

I am due to have 2 egg collections and surgery to remove both fallopian tubes as hydrosalpinx was previously found on both sides. Then hopefully frozen egg transfer.

Has anyone ever experienced not seeing an ovary on an ultrasound but then it appearing a few days later? I started taking the stimulation drugs last night and am getting another scan on Wednesday.

[BlueEyedTabby]

Morning, I have had scans historically, although not during my IVF journey, where they weren't able to find an ovary. One sonographer asked me if I'd had it removed!? 🙈 Apparently it's because they move around all the time, especially when you have endo (I do too with an endometrioma on left ovary). So my advice would be, try not to worry, it'll most likely reappear next time xxx

[Endowarrior36 in reply to BlueEyedTabby]

Thank you so much for your reassuring reply!

We were supposed to start out second round a month ago but I was quite sick and ended up in hospital. I was so worried during the scan on Friday and my anxiety just went through the roof wjen he couldn't find my right ovary. I do have endometriosis and I have a very low amh.

Thanks again for taking the time to reply to me and for being so reassuring xx

[BlueEyedTabby in reply to Endowarrior36]

No worries at all! It sounds like you've been through a lot, I'm sorry you've been really poorly. Hope you feel better now and everything can get back on track for you. Best of luck for the surgery and your collections xxx

[Endowarrior36]

Thank you so much for your lovey words. It is all so overwhelming but this forum is just brilliant. And thanks again for your reply. I hope all is ok with you xx

[aso328]

Yes I've had this once. Being totally honest I think the skill (or lack of) is more likely the problem... It was for me.

[Endowarrior36 in reply to aso328]

Thank you so much for your reply aso328. I really hope this is the case. Did you have a scan after? Were they able to see it?

[JoyfulStar]

Hi Endowarrior,

I found out after my first IVF attempt that my left ovary was located behind the uterus. While some consultants did not see this as an issue and were able to still locate it by just pressing on my abdomen to bring it into view, some more junior doctors who scanned me struggled so I totally agree with asp328, skill really does come into it.

Despite my left ovary being difficult to locate on several occasions, my egg collections still went well as my notes were updated with the best way to find it if it was playing “peekaboo”.

I honestly would not worry, if it has been found before your last scan then it can be found again.

All the best with your egg collections and surgery x

[Endowarrior36 in reply to JoyfulStar]

Thank you so much JoyfulStar for sharing your experience and reassuring me xx

[Gardener0001]

I had a scan on Friday by a nurse in training and she couldn’t find my right ovary because my bowel was blocking it. She got her supervisor to take over who found it almost straight away but agreed it was hard to find because my bowel blocks the view. This happens every time I have a scan and I have to press on my abdomen to try and move my bowel out of the way! So agree about the skill of the person doing the scan

[Endowarrior36 in reply to Gardener0001]

Thank you so much Gardener0001. Aside from that, I hope your scan went well on Friday.

[LondonBase]

Yes, it happened to me a few times, usually with the left one. It's not a big deal. In my case it hid behind bowels, if I hadn't pooped or I'm constipated. Usually they saw it at the next scan or sometimes if they push and prod a little harder. It depends on how experienced the person doing the scan is as well. I don't think they will push & prod when you're taking the stims tho' because ovaries are enlarged and it will hurt, but they do it if they can't see the ovary in the scans in the build-up to FET.

[Endowarrior36 in reply to LondonBase]

Thank you so much LondonBase. This is very reassuring, thanks again!

[Christianbaby]

I’ve had a couple of scans where one of my ovaries wasn’t visible too. Both my sonographer and doctor said it’s pretty common, and sometimes it’s just due to gas in the intestines, which can block the view. It’s frustrating, but it does happen! I also had hydrosalpinx at one point, but when I went for another scan about three months later, it wasn’t there anymore. The female body can be a bit of a mystery sometimes! Try not to stress too much about it (though I know it’s easier said than done), and I really hope everything goes smoothly for you with your next scan and treatments. xx

[Endowarrior36 in reply to Christianbaby]

Thank you so much for your reply Christianbaby. That is so reassuring. That's really interesting about the hydrosalpinx. Was it just on one tube? Did you do anything in particular to get rid of it? Apologies if this question is too invasive but were you successful with IVF before / after the hydrosalpinx? Absolutely no pressure to reply to that question BTW. Thank you so much for responding to my ovary question.

[Christianbaby in reply to Endowarrior36]

Yes, just one tube. Unfortunately, I did not find success with OE IVF after multiple tries. We did, however get our miracle baby when we went down the DE route. All the best. Keep us updated if you can. x

[Endowarrior36 in reply to Christianbaby]

That is amazing you had success with DE and you now have your little miracle baby. Thank you so much Christianbaby xx