How to prepare for a mammogram study

Posted on 23 October 2020

Dr Liezel Davel, from Mediclinic Midstream provides a practical and useful guide to what to expect when you are scheduled for a mammogram study.

1. Use a facility that specializes in mammography and have the most advanced equipment.
2. If you go to a facility for the first time, then provide them with all your prior studies and results.
3. Schedule a mammogram when your breasts are not tender or swollen to help reduce discomfort and to get better pictures. Try to avoid the week before your period.
4. On the day of the examination please don’t wear any deodorant or antiperspirant. These substances can show up on the x ray as white spots.
5. Wear a top and skirt/pants so that you only have to remove your top.
6. Notify the radiographer if you are pregnant or breast feeding.
7. Inform us about your family history, prior breast cancer, surgery or if you are on hormone replacement therapy.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer diagnosed among women, besides skin cancer, with a lifetime risk of 1 in 25 in South Africa, according to the 2016 National Cancer Registry. The five year survival rate for women with cancer located only in the breast is 99%. This decreases to 86% if the cancer has spread to the regional lymph nodes and the 5-year survival rate for patients with breast cancer and spread to distant organs is 27%. This is why early detection is essential – schedule your scan today.

For more information on getting a mammogram please visit the American Cancer Society page.