When you need a safe, clean, and attentively staffed place for a mammogram, The Hollywood Diagnostics Center is the place to choose if you live in South Florida. You will be pleased that you did. And we are more than pleased to provide these services.
What is a Mammogram
A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast that can detect breast cancer or the early signs of it. At a time when guidelines keep changing for the rules for when women should get mammograms, the procedure should not be overlooked as a vital step in every woman’s life.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. This aside from some types of skin cancer. This is true no matter your race or ethnicity, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Getting a mammogram can help women spot and treat cancers.
The American Cancer Society’s mammography guidelines suggest that women at average risk for breast cancer should have yearly mammograms starting at age 45 years old. They then should switch to every other year at age 55. They also recommend that women should have a choice to start screening as early as 40 years, and that screening should continue as long as women are in good health and are expected to live at least another 10 years.
When to Get a Mammogram
Women should schedule mammograms when their breasts are the least tender, which tends to be the week after their menstrual cycle, Patients who have had mammograms at outside facilities should bring in those images and reports so radiologists can see them.
Before undergoing a mammogram, all patients should tell the technician if they have had previous biopsies or implants.
During the 20-30-minute procedure, women will stand and place one breast at a time on the machine’s plate. The machine will compress the breast in order to take a picture (X-ray).
The reason it’s done this way is that it’s important for breast tissue to be spread out as much as possible so that the X-ray can go through all of the tissue and photograph the most complete and detailed set of pictures that can be taken.
Most women describe their mammograms as mildly uncomfortable. However, some women find the process actually painful. There are some remedies for women who may be jittery about the procedure.
In many cases, it is OK that patients take a mild pain medication or an ibuprofen product (as long as it’s approved by their physician) about an hour before their mammogram to alleviate some of that discomfort if they’ve experienced that before.
There are two types of mammograms, which can be used either for screening or diagnostic purposes. The type of screening can yield results at different timelines. Results can take up to one week with screening mammograms, whereas results are reported the same day with diagnostic mammograms.
If a mammogram detects an abnormality, it can be handled in many different ways. Ultimately, it depends on what the abnormality is that is found, the score given by the radiologist, and then the recommendation given following the results.
Hollywood Diagnostics Center has been recognized as a leader in the medical diagnostics field while performing over 30,000 diagnostic procedures annually. This includes the mammograms discussed in this article. The center continues to be at the forefront of medical technology by progressively updating its equipment and procedures to reflect the latest advances in medicine. HDC is your complete, one source provider of all diagnostic services.
If you, or someone you know requires a mammogram in South Florida, then contact us today at (954) 966-3600! They will truly be in good hands with Hollywood Diagnostics Center.