Scans & Tests · Endometriosis

Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Endometriosis

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Endometriosis, and what each one is: not a recommendation. Your clinician decides which scan or test, if any, you need. Prices below are typical UK private ranges; enter your postcode to see the NHS wait near you.

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Examination and symptoms first

Endometriosis is assessed from your symptoms and an examination. A CA125 blood test is not used to diagnose it.

Ultrasound

The usual first scan: a specialist transvaginal ultrasound, which is good at finding ovarian endometriosis (endometriomas).

An ultrasound scan uses high-frequency sound waves to produce live images, via a handheld probe on the skin. It uses no radiation.

How long: Usually 15 to 45 minutes.

Good for: Soft tissues near the surface, tendons and muscles, the abdomen and pelvis, and anything best seen moving in real time.

Typical UK private cost: £185 to £495. Usually bookable within days.

MRI

Used when deep endometriosis is suspected, or to assess how extensive it is before surgery.

An MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan uses a strong magnetic field and radio waves to build detailed pictures of soft tissues such as muscles, ligaments, cartilage, discs and the brain. It uses no radiation.

How long: Usually 15 to 45 minutes, lying still inside a tunnel-shaped scanner.

Good for: Soft-tissue and joint detail: ligament and cartilage injuries, the spine and discs, and the brain.

Typical UK private cost: £300 to £1145. Usually bookable within days.

Laparoscopy

The definitive test, and not a scan: keyhole surgery to look directly inside the pelvis. Endometriosis can be present even when scans are normal, so this may be needed to confirm it.

A laparoscopy is keyhole surgery, done under general anaesthetic: a thin telescope is passed through a small cut near the belly button to look directly inside the pelvis and abdomen. It is a procedure, not an imaging scan.

How long: Usually 30 to 60 minutes, often as a day case; you are asleep for it.

Good for: Looking directly inside the pelvis: it can confirm endometriosis that scans miss, and some problems can be treated during the same operation.

Sources: NICE (NG73), NHS. [1] (opens in new tab) [2] (opens in new tab)

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Wait or Pay is independent and is not the NHS. NHS waits are from DM01 diagnostics data. Nothing here is medical advice; your clinician decides which scan, if any, you need.

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