It is not uncommon to be nervous and intimidated about getting a mammogram. In fact, fear and nervousness are among the most common reasons many women put off their routine screenings, such as a mammogram.
But a mammogram doesn’t need to be a nerve-wracking and scary experience. If you know what happens during a mammogram, you’ll find your mammogram a lot less intimidating than you imagined.
Let’s talk about why a mammogram is important, what happens during a typical mammogram, and where you can go for this screening in the Bronx, NY.
What Makes Mammogram So Important?
A mammogram is an X-ray picture of your breasts which allows your primary care doctor to look for the early signs of breast cancer – a leading cause of death in women.
Breast cancer, if detected early, is far easier to treat.
Usually, you are recommended to go for a regular mammogram if you are over the age of 45 and/or have certain risk factors for breast cancer. These risk factors may include a family history of breast or ovarian cancer, having dense breasts, or having inherited mutations to certain genes.
What Happens During a Mammogram?
When you go to a diagnostic imaging center for a mammogram, first, you meet your radiologist. Your radiologist explains the details of the mammogram procedure to you – and possibly does everything to make you feel comfortable and ready for the exam.
Then, you are taken to the exam room, where you will take off your shirt and bra. The technician will give you a wrap or cover-up.
For the exam, you will stand in front of a special X-ray machine. You will be asked to put each breast, one at a time, on a plastic platform. A plate will firmly press your placed breast from above to flatten the beast. Flattening of the breasts will spread out the breast tissues, making it easier to find a tumor or other signs of breast cancer.
The pressure from the plates will also hold your breasts still, while the X-ray machine takes multiple pictures of the flattened breast tissues.
You may expect to feel a little discomfort or pain when your breasts are compressed between the plates – but the uncomfortable part of the mammogram lasts only a few seconds.
The entire procedure will take approximately 15 minutes. Keep in mind that the person who did your mammogram cannot tell you your results. So, it’s a good idea to talk to your radiologist or primary care doctor about the results.
Mammogram in The Bronx, NY
At Starling Diagnostics, we offer cutting-edge diagnostic services provided by our highly trained, experienced, and board-certified radiologists. Our radiologists take great care of our patients to make sure that their experience at our clinic is as comfortable and accommodating as possible. We offer a wide variety of diagnostic imaging services, including 3D mammograms, ultrasound, MRI, CT scan, X-rays, and much more.
If you would like to schedule a mammogram at our diagnostic facility, call (718) 319-1610 or, if you prefer, use our convenient, secure online request form. If you are a provider and want to refer your patient to our facility, please use this physician referral form.
