Question: Do I need a mammogram if I don’t have any symptoms?
Answer: Yes. Women over 40 should get a mammogram every year. Mammography can detect breat cancer up to two years before you or your doctor can feel a lump.
Question: If there is no history of breast cnacer in my family, should I worry about getting it?
Answer: Eight out of ten women who develop breast cance have no family history of the disease.
Question: If I have at least one normal mamogram, do I need another?
Answer: Yes. Once is not enough. Women age 40 and over should get a mammogram every year.
Question: Are mammograms painful?
Answer: No. A mammogram is simply an x-ray of your breast. Although the procedure may cause slight discomfort, it doesn’t hurt. And the amount of radiation is very low.
Question: If a mammogram does find something, is it too late?
Answer: No. In nine out of ten cases, women whose brease cancer is found and treated early, before it has spread beyond the breast will survive.
Question: I just found a lump in my breast but I recently had a mammogram. What should I do?
Answer: Anytime you find a lump it must be seen by a doctor.