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First Visit Information
 One
of the most effective weapons in the fight
against breast cancer is the mammogram, an
x-ray of the breast. Most women should have
their first mammogram by age 40. If you've taken that first
step and scheduled your initial screening mammogram, here's what to expect:
Your
mammogram should be scheduled about 10 days after the start of your
menstrual period. This will ensure that you do not feel discomfort
from swollen or tender breasts.
Please
do not use deodorant on your underarms or powder or lotion on your
breasts. These may show up as spots on the mammogram.
The technologist will take you to your dressing room and ask you to undress,
then put on a wrap-around gown
from the waist up. She will then take you to the exam room to position your breast between two smooth,
flat plastic surfaces on the mammography machine.
Your
breast will be compressed between these surfaces
for a few seconds while the images are taken from the
top view. The other breast will then be compressed and filmed.
To obtain side views, your first breast will be compressed again,
this time from the sides. Your other breast will also be compressed
from the side.
This
exam may feel uncomfortable, but should not hurt. Radiology
Associates now uses "Software" technology to minimize compression
discomfort.
In
5-10 percent of patients, an occasional additional evaluation is
requested by the radiologist. This usually requires a second visit.
Often this evaluation includes views of the breast from different
angles or with "coned" or "magnification" view of a special
area. Ultrasound is also performed occasionally for more detail.
You will receive a letter of the results of
your initial visit. If a second visit is
requested, both you and your physician will
be informed.
Photo
courtesy of the American Cancer Society.
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