What is a mammogram? This is a question that many people ask when they are told that they may need to have one. A mammogram is an x-ray that is used to help to detect breast cancer and any other abnormal lumps and tumors that may be growing on the breasts.
What is a mammogram?
The x-ray does is low, so there are very few risks to the body from the rays. The results are placed on an x-ray film or placed straight onto a computer for a radiologist to look at and determine whether there is a problem. This is something that will help to determine anything that was felt during a breast exam and to help determine whether it is something to worry about.
Most of the time, the changes that are spotted on the test are nothing serious. They are usually benign tumors or growths that have developed as the hormones have changed over time.
Of course, there are times when cancer is detected and a mammogram is one of the best ways to determine this.
When will breast cancer be found?
Instead of asking what is a mammogram? It is usually best asking how effective a mammogram is when screening for breast cancer. This is something that is used often and the high quality machines will be able to find out the reason behind the lumps at an early stage. The minute that you find a problem, the mammogram will be able to show the growth and the radiologist will be able to determine whether it is something to be worried about.
However, there are some limitations to the screening. A mammogram is not able to detect all forms of cancers when it comes to the breasts – some of them are detected from a normal breast exam. There are also times when something looks cancerous and is not. This has lead to a number of questions about whether these screenings are something that should be done.
Checking for breast cancer
One of the best things that you can do is check for breast cancer yourself. Every month, you should feel your breasts to make sure there are no changes or lumps. This is one of the most effective ways of telling if there is something wrong because you are more likely going to know if there is a change to your own breasts – something that doctors will not be able to tell.
There are times when there are natural changes to your breasts. Some women will notice that there are changes during the menstrual cycle, due to the chance in hormones. One of the most common times when breasts changes occur is during pregnancy or while taking birth control pills. These changes are usually nothing to be worried about and are often linked to the hormones.
While it is important to question what is a mammogram and do your research into the tests, it is not the only option available. There are many ways to test for lumps in your breasts and some of them can be done by yourself. This will help you save money and time.
