What happens during a transvaginal ultrasound?

Thin u/s inserted: Routine female pelvic ultrasound has two portions to the exam. The exam starts with a full bladder and scanning with a fan shaped ultrasound (u/s) probe over the lower abdomen and pubic area. Then the pt is asked to empty her bladder and then a thin long u/s probe is inserted into the vagina for additional pictures. This portion is important and significantly improves parts of the evaluation.