Scans & Tests · Heavy periods

Scans and tests your GP or consultant may recommend for Heavy periods

This is information about which scans and tests may be used to assess Heavy periods, 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 first

Treatment for heavy periods can sometimes start without investigation if a structural cause is unlikely, after an examination.

Ultrasound

A transvaginal ultrasound is a first-line investigation.

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.

Hysteroscopy

A camera test, not a scan: often preferred when fibroids, polyps or problems with the womb lining are suspected, and some of these can be treated during it.

A hysteroscopy passes a thin telescope through the vagina and cervix to look inside the womb. It is a camera test rather than an imaging scan, and is often done without a general anaesthetic.

How long: Usually 5 to 30 minutes, often as an outpatient.

Good for: Looking inside the womb for fibroids, polyps or lining problems, and some of these can be treated during the same test.

MRI

Not a first-line test for heavy periods: it is not routinely used to investigate heavy menstrual bleeding.

Sources: NICE (NG88), 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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