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One Test, Is Just One Test, When It comes to Uterine Cancer

Sometimes a gynecologic diagnosis is very straightforward. Other times a test may be within normal limits for most women but yet be hiding something abnormal. It is possible to make a diagnosis of abnormal lining thickness of the uterus with an ultrasound. When women found out they could avoid the ouch of an actual biopsy or D and C and just rely on the ultrasound to detect uterine cancer they were very happy. The biopsies of the uterus may be able to be done in a quick office visit, but the biopsy is always uncomfortable, and an ultrasound is rarely painful. But it's important to remember that one test is just one test. And even if the lining measurements on ultrasound do not show that there is unusual thickness, the the newest information says that relying on ultrasound alone may miss some cases of uterine cancer. So One test is only one piece of the information you may need about your case. When women have an ultrasound, they need to understand they may need a repeat ultrasound, a pap, a culture or a biopsy to really get the correct answer. And knowing that there are uterine cancers that can be present within thin uterine lining brings that point home even more so than before.So if you have uterine bleeding, particularly in perimenopause or post menopause, you may need to progress to a surgical evaluation to really know what your diagnosis is. This may require a hysteroscopy or D and C to rule out endometrial disease and rule out uterine cancer rather than just rely on the ultrasound.

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