Introduction

Hi, I am Dany, aka uncle scan

You are welcome to healthraderplus.blogspot.com, the noble blog for every woman...
I have been in the field of medical radio-diagnosis for about half a decade with a special bias for ultrasonography which you often refer to as “scan”. I am now ready to bring certain aspects of female health issues closer to you than usual. I do hope you'll get most of your concerns resolved here when you subscribe to receiving my articles. 

First of all, let's talk about the Ultrasound scan...

what is ultrasound scan?

An Ultrasound Equipment

Source: Uncle Scan Photo album

Ultrasound scan is done using the ultrasound equipment. This machine uses sound waves (not x-ray) to produce moving images of organs of the body or fetus(baby) on a screen, through a hand held instrument called the probe or transducer and a monitor after the application of a jelly-like substance on the area of interest.

In more recent past or about now, the layman believes scan is exclusively used to examine pregnant woman, but I bet you, it’s not true! If anyone still believes that, mark that person well; s/he must have existed in the days of Mungo Park.

So what other parts of the body can be scanned?

Believe me ultrasound scan can be done on relatively every part of the body except areas where there is complete bony covering like the brain of a non infant. This means that the brain of infants can still be examined through the visible pulsating portion at the centre of the head. Finally，anyone may be asked to go do a scan, regardless of gender or age. 

Types of scans 

Ultrasound examinations for women range from:
1. Abdominal scan
2. Pelvic scan  
3. Obstetric (pregnancy) scan, including fetal gender determination 
4. Transvaginal (TVS) scan (probably for follicular tracking in a cases of early pregnancy, infertility and early gender determination.

5. Rectal scan

6. Thyroid scan

7. Breast scan

It is a norm that wherever people go to get respite on life’s issues, whether religious circles, club, cinema, or hospital if you please, the female folk are always in a majority. I think the reason is that with minimal knowledge, they tend to navigate faster to solution centers than their male counterparts. That’s safe! I like that! So, I have accepted my fate to care for them, safely, and also dedicate this blog to address some of their health challenges.

 ...but scan is dangerous, it could induce cancer! 

To this I say NO! Ultrasound machines uses sound waves, not x-rays, in producing moving or say dynamic images of organs in the body or a baby. Hence, ultrasound waves has no known hazard, except the insignificant heat energy released while moving the handheld instrument called probe over the area of concern.   

How I developed passion for female reproductive health...

Over the years I have slowly developed real empathy and... sympathy as it were especially for my female patients because of the tough times I see some of them go through with their general health, and also during pregnancy. Many times, it may be easy to see that the reason it got that tough might be due to little or no prior knowledge about the state of their health, which boils down to nil or inadequate medical check-ups.  A good knowledge on the state of your health status brings you into significant control of things, especially when you need to make informed choices in life whether before or during marriage. Personally, I hold the opinion that women should be educated on their wellbeing, supported and taken care of with genuine love by family and friends because of all they go through in life to grow up healthy and bear kids.

Routine medical screening...when I'm not sick? what for?

Ignorance I said is costlier than being informed in life. Can you guess what we (medical professionals) observe most of the times we try to sensitize the public on the need for medical check-ups (at least annually), we get responses like:

What for? Even when I feel no pain or discomfort? Is that not wasting money unnecessarily? Others would say, 

I don't want to give myself any headache because whenever you go to the hospital/laboratory, they will surely see something wrong with you.

Sincerely, I do understand the plight of the layman - ignorance of diseases that develop gradually but quietly (cancers, breast lumps, fibroids, Poly Cystic Ovarian Syndrome, PCOS, infections e.t.c) and little or no knowledge of possible age related changes in the human body. Another reason for this is poverty (especially on this region of Africa) and general defective maintenance culture. 
Take for instance,

Image showing a classical breast lump in the left breast.

Source: Uncle Scan Ultrasound album

A cancerous lump in the breast or uterus or ovaries may remain unnoticed for years because it is initially painless and may give no serious discomfort. In this case, someone who does not do routine medical checkup may hardly know anything is wrong anywhere, not to talk of how to get rid of it before it turns around like a lion at an advanced stage(when it pains like hell) and get rid of the one who has it. She will be relaxed in ignorance for years sitting on a bombshell until it eventually explodes into higher stages of the deadly disease, the point of no return!!! Obviously it is suicidal to sit at home and assume "all is well". None of the three idiots would do that either. This is the major reason why cancer proves fatal-those who have it did not know early enough let alone do anything to nip it in the bud before it spreads!!!