Mammography is an X-ray technique used to study the breasts. It can help doctors find breast cancer at an early stage (when treatment is more likely to succeed). About one in eight women will develop breast cancer during their lives. The risk of breast cancer increases with age. Most cases occur after meno-pause. By age 50, yearly mammography should be a regular part of your health care.
What Is Mammography?
Mammography is a simple X-ray process. It passes low doses of X-rays through the
breasts. No dyes have to be injected or swallowed and no instruments will be put
in your body.
Mammography can be done in a doctor's office, a clinic, a mobile screening van or a hospital. It is done by an X-ray technician trained in mammography. The results then are read by a specially trained doctor (radiologist).
Who Should Have Mammography?
Women aged 40-49 years should have mammography done every one to two years.
Women aged 50 years and older should have it done every year.
You also may need mammography if you have any of these signs:
Mammography is vital for all women, especially older women. The size of your breasts does not matter.
What To Expect
The day you have the test done, you should not wear powders, lotions or
deodorants. This is because most of these products have substances that can show
on the X-ray films.
To get ready for the test, you'll need to undress from the waist up and put on a gown. You'll be asked to stand or sit in front of the X-ray machine. Two smooth, flat plastic or glass plates will be placed around one of your breasts. The plates will flatten your breast so that the most tissue can be viewed with the least radiation.
The pressure of the plates may make the breasts ache.
Are There Any Risks?
Mammography exposes a woman to a very low dose of X-rays. The dose is much lower
than the natural level of radiation received from the environment during one
year. Some cancers cannot be seen on a mammogram. Even lumps that can be felt
may not show up. The combination of mammography, regular visits to your doctor,
and self-exam may give the best results.
What If the Test Result Is Positive?
Most lumps found in the breast are benign — not cancer. To confirm the results
of mammography, special X-ray views or other tests, such as ultrasonography, may
be useful.
Other tests can tell your doctor more about the type of lump. They include:
Finally ...
Combined with regular checkups and breast self-exams, mammography is a good way
to find cancer at an early and more curable stage. It has large benefits and
small risks. For women aged 40 years and older, mammography should be part of
your routine health care.
This excerpt from ACOG's Patient Education Pamphlet is provided for your information. It is not medical advice and should not be relied upon as a substitute for visiting your doctor. If you need medical care, have any questions, or wish to receive the full text of this Patient Education Pamphlet, please contact your obstetrician-gynecologist.
 |