If you’ve recently blown out 40 candles on your birthday cake, your doctor may recommend your first mammogram. A mammogram is a crucial screening tool for detecting breast cancer early when it’s most treatable.
Scheduling your first mammogram is an important step in taking charge of your breast health. Not sure what to expect? Rest assured, millions of women undergo this important breast cancer screening each year.
Lucky for you, I’m well into my forties and have a few mammograms under my belt at this point. So I’m happy to share my experience. By understanding the process and following a few simple tips, you can approach your appointment with confidence.
Let’s walk through what you need to know to prepare for your first mammogram.
1. Schedule your appointment.
Make the call. Don’t wait! I recently had lunch with a woman who had battled breast cancer. She told me that she had skipped a mammogram one year because it had been a stressful time. And she put everything on the back burner. If she had simply made that appointment and they had discovered her cancer earlier, her treatment could have been much less invasive and much shorter. Fortunately, she’s now in remission. But hopefully, this story gives us all the little push to pick up the phone or schedule online.
If you are a person who experiences breast tenderness the week before or during your period, consider not scheduling your mammogram during those weeks.
2. Don’t wear deodorant or antiperspirant on the day of your first mammogram.
Skip the deodorant or antiperspirant when you are headed to your appointment. Some of the ingredients can show up on the images skewing the results. Other things to avoid on the day of a mammogram include perfume, powder, lotions, and creams.
3. Do wear pants!
When you arrive at your appointment, you’ll be given a cape that opens to the front. It’s not a full-length hospital gown, but rather the length of a shirt. So if you choose to wear the cute dress or romper on the day of your mammogram, the cape will not be long enough to cover your bottom half. I highly recommend pants, shorts, or skirts so you won’t be standing there in your underwear.
4. It’s nothing your nurse or technician hasn’t seen before.
After you change and you’re in the room with the mammogram machine, your healthcare provider will adjust the machine to your height and position your breast on the bottom plate of the machine. Remember, this person has done this a thousand times and isn’t phased a bit.
5. It really doesn’t hurt.
The machine’s top plate will slowly move down to compress your breast between the two plates. Then your nurse or technician will take a few different angles of images. And then it’s time for breast #2. The compression is slightly uncomfortable. But I do not think it’s painful. So don’t let the thought of pain keep you from getting your first mammogram.
6. Remember your “why.”
When you schedule your annual mammogram, you aren’t just doing it for yourself. You’re doing it for all the people you love, who depend on your good health: your parents, your children, your significant other, your best friend.
7. After your appointment.
After your appointment, a radiologist will read your scans. They will contact you with your results within a week or two. Ask about the exact time frame during your appointment.
If it’s time for you to schedule your mammogram, Lovelace’s Breast Health Centers make your mammogram experience swift and easy.
They have two convenient locations: Lovelace Women’s Hospital and Lovelace Westside Hospital. Online scheduling is also available. There’s even walk-in, evening hours, and Saturday appointment availability.
I have gotten mammograms in the past at Lovelace Women’s Hospital, where it’s been such an easy process. I’ve always been able to get an appointment quickly. There’s never much waiting either. I was in and out within 30 minutes the last time I was there for a mammogram.
Lovelace’s breast health specialists offer 3D mammography using the latest technology and best standards in practice. Schedule your mammogram today by visiting lovelace.com/mammo or by calling 505-727-6900.
The Breast Care Center at Lovelace Women’s Hospital offers various treatment options and will support you throughout diagnosis, treatment, and aftercare. When you need exceptional breast health services with a compassionate touch, Lovelace is ready to help.
