Scans & Tests · Fibroids

Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Fibroids

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Fibroids, 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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Pelvic examination first

Fibroids are often first suspected from your symptoms and a pelvic examination.

Ultrasound

The main scan: a pelvic ultrasound, usually transvaginal, is the first-line test to confirm fibroids. Widely available and lower cost.

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 for more detail on the size, number and location of fibroids, or to plan treatment. It can show things an ultrasound misses.

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.

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

See the wait and price near you

Enter your postcode for the NHS wait at your nearest hospital and the private price range from clinics within 25 miles.

All conditions, scans and tests →MRI waits by hospital →All NHS waiting times →

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.

How long will you really wait, and how could you go sooner?

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