Ultrasound results

I went for a pelvic ultrasound yesterday, as the start of infertility investigations. It is suddenly all strange to be a patient in a hospital rather than a professional. I went to a different place I have never been before and had to ask at the desk where to go, what papers I needed, where the bathrooms are. Suddenly everything takes on a huge significance, and I felt a strong need to do it all "right" and to be seen as a "good patient" and not be "difficult". Not sure where that came from, since I always encourage my patients to ask all the questions they need to.

The ultrasound itself was not as uncomfortable as I had expected - I guess that is the difference between a professional who does it all the time and getting another registrar to do a quick scan in a back room on a tea break. They even had a second screen set up so I could see what the technician was seeing, not that it helped since I am not very good at interpreting ultrasounds, but she explained what we were seeing as it went along.

She scanned my uterus, ovaries, pelvic floor, etc and told me all the measurements. Just like every other patient, I asked her: Is that normal? Is that OK? Does that mean I have follicles and eggs?

Halfway through examining my uterus she said "Oh, you have a very large septum here." I had to ask her what that meant, and after a long pause she just said "You had better get your doctor to explain it." Of course, I didn't wait for that but started worrying immediately! I suppose that up until now I was assuming all was normal and it was just taking time to get pregnant - no-one really expects to hear that something is actually wrong until it actually happens.

Like all good patients, I then went and looked up "septate uterus" on the internet using google, and found all sorts of horrifying procedures which can be done to correct this. Not relishing the idea of surgery, I went to the medical literature to search the evidence for the implications and consequences and therapies (if any) for this condition. I found some rather daunting statistics which suggest an over 90% miscarriage rate and managed to work myself into a great old state of panic.