Please report to Admitting 15 minutes before your
scheduled exam time.
PREP:
Try to schedule your mammogram for the week
following your menstrual period, when your breasts are less tender. Wear a
two-piece outfit to the examination, so you only have to remove your top.
Don’t use any deodorant, powders, lotions, or creams on your chest area
before your exam because these products can show up on the x-ray image. If
you had previous mammograms at another location, you should bring the
address and telephone number of that facility. If you think you are
pregnant, please tell the technologist before your exam.
PURPOSE:
A Mammogram is a low dose x-ray of the breast. It is
the best way to find breast cancer during its early, more treatable
stages. The American Cancer Society recommends that women receive an
annual mammogram beginning at age 40.
WHAT TO EXPECT:
Your mammogram will be performed by a specially
trained female radiologic technologist. She will place one of your breasts
on a small platform attached to the mammography machine. Your breast will
then be gradually compressed between two smooth, flat, plastic surfaces.
For screening mammography two images are taken of each breast, one from
the top and one from the side. Compression is necessary to produce the
best pictures using the lowest amount of radiation possible. Compression
may be uncomfortable, but it shouldn’t hurt. You will be asked to wait a
few minutes while the x-ray films are processed. Don’t be alarmed if you
are asked to return for additional views. These extra views can help the
radiologist see an area of the breast better.
POST EXAM
INFORMATION: A doctor specially trained
to read x-rays, a radiologist, looks carefully at the mammogram. The
radiologist will send your personal physician a report of the findings and
you will receive a letter telling you a summary of the report.
TIME FRAME:
Approximately 1/2 hour.
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