Breast Cancer Mammograms Are Important

Getting a breast cancer mammogram can be awkward. Nobody really likes getting poked and prodded. Yet, when you get past the age of 25, doctor visits become more common and routine. A breast cancer mammogram should be part of that routine.

What Are Breast Cancer Mammograms?

There are two kinds of breast cancer checks-a screening mammogram and a diagnostic one. We will cover screening mammograms in this essay. During this, the doctor uses an X-ray machine to take images of the breast tissue. These machines are different than normal X-ray machines. They use a much lower dose than what would be used to do a chest X-ray or to look at a bone break. This makes them much safer for you and safer for the lab workers who do a lot of these every day.

The lower dosage also means there is better contrast on the images. This is important because you can see more details. Normal X-rays wash out the subtle details, like when you overexpose a photo by using the flash in a bright room.

New mammogram machines shoot everything to a digital picture that your doctor will look at on a computer screen. Older ones shoot to X-ray film.

Historical Trends In Your Medical History

Your doctor will want to see your entire mammogram history when you come in for a breast cancer check. This is easy if you're getting a digital mammogram. It's a bit more challenging if it's done on film. We recommend that you find a doctor and mammography center you're comfortable with, and stick with them. This way, the doctor can pull up your history on his or her own.

When you get a mammogram done, it's kind of uncomfortable. You will have your breast put on a plastic plate and squeezed down by another plate, called the imaging plate. This compresses the breast tissue and makes it spread out. It is easier to catch all of it with a mild X-ray pass this way. It's sort of like having your breast squeezed from top to bottom.

Then, they rotate the machine and take a side image shot. All in all, there will be four shots run, and each one takes about 5 to 6 minutes-it's a half an hour of your time.

The aim of a screening mammogram is to look for things that have changed since the last one that you had taken. Healthy women should have their first mammograms done early-anywhere from the age of 28 to 35. They should have one done every 3 to 4 years. If you are over 40, or carry the breast cancer gene, you should have one done every year.

Getting Over Being Scared

"Don't let your fear of possible bad results steer you away from the benefits of an early diagnosis and treatment for breast cancer." Now, there are reasons why women put off breast cancer mammograms. The most common is stress.

A lot of women put it off because they are afraid of getting bad results. This is a very bad decision to make.

Breast cancer detection is important. Cancer is easier to treat the earlier it is discovered.

Also, the longer you go between mammograms, the harder it is to read changes and get a history on them.

There are many ways to beat the stress:

• Try doing regular breast self examinations at home.
• Women in their 20s should start these early on and get a good idea for what’s normal with their breasts.
• You should notice when lumps occur from hormonal changes, differences in diet and the like.
• Clinical breast exams are also important.
• Knowing what is and is not normal for you makes getting a breast cancer mammogram a lot less scary.