What To Expect
Mammography requires no special dietary or physical restrictions, though your doctor may advise you not to use deodorant, talcum powder, or skin lotions on your breast or underarms on the day of the test. You should also wear a two-piece outfit, since youll have to undress from the waist up. You may feel nervous, frightened or embarrassed by the idea of disrobing to the waist and having your breasts manipulated for various x-ray views. Dont hesitate to voice your concerns to your physician and the mammography technologist prior to the procedure. Ask the technologist to explain beforehand what to expect. Many of these professionals are sensitive to a womans desire for modesty and a sense of self-control.
During a mammogram, each breast will be gently flattened between two plastic plates so all of the tissue can be viewed. The x-ray machine will send a tiny amount of radiation through your breast to create an image. Generally, screening mammograms include two views of each breast -- from the top and from the side -- and take only 20 minutes to complete.
From:Yahoo Health
Although mammography is relatively painless, some women feel uncomfortable because the breast is compressed during the procedure. This pressure is necessary to obtain good detail of the breast on the x-ray film and only lasts a few seconds. Though mammography is effective at any time during the menstrual cycle, women who are still having periods may want to schedule the procedure a week after their period, when their breasts are less swollen and tender, and avoid mammography during the week before their period.
Be sure to ask your doctor when the test results will be available. A long delay causes many women intense anxiety; so, many hospitals and womens health centers have responded with full-service screening programs that offer results within 30 minutes of the test. Your doctor or the radiologist who reads the x-ray films should be on hand to talk with you about the results. If any additional views are necessary, you can often have more x-rays taken on the spot. Your doctor can also schedule procedures such as a biopsy within 24 hours. Federal law now requires that women must be informed of their mammography results in writing. The law was passed because of reports that some health care providers did not tell the patient about suspicious findings.
Women with breast implants should also follow regular screening guidelines for mammography. Tumor detection is more difficult after breast enlargement, especially in women who have developed scar tissue around the implants, have their implants in front of muscle, or have little breast tissue to begin with -- which is often the case after implant surgery. The mammogram should be taken with a more thorough technique called a "modified compression view," since both saline and silicone implants can obscure x-rays.
Its important to tell your mammography technologist that you have breast implants so that he or she can exercise special care during the test. The radiologist will take several low-dose x-rays of each augmented breast, pushing the implant away from your breast tissue to get the best possible views. The technique requires more time than a basic screening mammogram.
Mammography itself is very unlikely to rupture the implant, though it sometimes detects pre-existing damage. Nevertheless, ruptured implants often appear normal on mammography, so magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended if an implant needs to be checked.
During a mammogram, each breast will be gently flattened between two plastic plates so all of the tissue can be viewed. The x-ray machine will send a tiny amount of radiation through your breast to create an image. Generally, screening mammograms include two views of each breast -- from the top and from the side -- and take only 20 minutes to complete.
From:Yahoo Health
Although mammography is relatively painless, some women feel uncomfortable because the breast is compressed during the procedure. This pressure is necessary to obtain good detail of the breast on the x-ray film and only lasts a few seconds. Though mammography is effective at any time during the menstrual cycle, women who are still having periods may want to schedule the procedure a week after their period, when their breasts are less swollen and tender, and avoid mammography during the week before their period.
Be sure to ask your doctor when the test results will be available. A long delay causes many women intense anxiety; so, many hospitals and womens health centers have responded with full-service screening programs that offer results within 30 minutes of the test. Your doctor or the radiologist who reads the x-ray films should be on hand to talk with you about the results. If any additional views are necessary, you can often have more x-rays taken on the spot. Your doctor can also schedule procedures such as a biopsy within 24 hours. Federal law now requires that women must be informed of their mammography results in writing. The law was passed because of reports that some health care providers did not tell the patient about suspicious findings.
Women with breast implants should also follow regular screening guidelines for mammography. Tumor detection is more difficult after breast enlargement, especially in women who have developed scar tissue around the implants, have their implants in front of muscle, or have little breast tissue to begin with -- which is often the case after implant surgery. The mammogram should be taken with a more thorough technique called a "modified compression view," since both saline and silicone implants can obscure x-rays.
Its important to tell your mammography technologist that you have breast implants so that he or she can exercise special care during the test. The radiologist will take several low-dose x-rays of each augmented breast, pushing the implant away from your breast tissue to get the best possible views. The technique requires more time than a basic screening mammogram.
Mammography itself is very unlikely to rupture the implant, though it sometimes detects pre-existing damage. Nevertheless, ruptured implants often appear normal on mammography, so magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is recommended if an implant needs to be checked.
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