In preparation to going to a mammography clinic for a mammogram, you will be asked to withhold from using perfume, lotion, deodorant or powder on the breasts, as these products can come into view as calcifications on an x-ray, leading to a possible false-positive reading. The American Cancer Society suggests that you schedule your mammogram when your breasts are least expected to be tender. Typically this means about a week following your period. A technician at the mammography clinic, practically every time a woman, will position one breast at a time between two plates. Compression is used to flatten and spread the breast tissue, making it a lesser amount of density and as a result easier to read. You will be asked to stay still and hold your breath at the same time as the pictures are taken. Generally two films are taken of each breast. There may be some uneasiness, but the compression is brief. The whole method takes more or less than twenty minutes. If the mammograms pick up some type of malformation the doctor may want to do an ultrasound to be certain there is nothing mistaken. Ultrasounds allow the doctors to see deeper into the tissue and see plainly what is in the breast tissue so they can find the malformation in question and conclude if something else has to be done. A radiologist will evaluate the ultrasound and advise for further testing if they are concerned.
