{"id":8616,"date":"2026-02-06T11:27:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:27:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/?page_id=8616"},"modified":"2026-02-06T11:27:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:27:12","slug":"mammograms","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/patient-care\/for-patients\/exam-prep-patient-education-resources\/mammograms\/","title":{"rendered":"Mammograms"},"content":{"rendered":"<h3>How are mammograms performed?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Mammograms use a small and safe amount of radiation to take pictures of your breasts.<\/li>\n<li>Your mammogram will be performed by a female technologist in a private room. You will undress from the waist up and wear a small gown.<\/li>\n<li>The technologist will place each breast on a platform and a clear plastic plate will compress each of your breasts side-to-side and then top-to-bottom.<\/li>\n<li>The compression is not comfortable, but lasts only two to three seconds and should not be painful.<\/li>\n<li>Compression allows the mammogram to use less radiation and is important because a cancer can be seen better.<\/li>\n<li>You and the technologists are a team and will work together to get the best pictures. The technologist may need to repeat pictures to make sure all parts of your breasts are seen on the pictures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How do you prepare for a mammogram?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Bring your prior mammograms and reports to your appointment if they were done elsewhere.<\/li>\n<li>Bring your medical history with you, such as family history of breast cancer or prior biopsies and surgeries.<\/li>\n<li>Do not wear deodorant, lotions, or powers on your underarms or breasts.<\/li>\n<li>Relaxing your muscles and focusing on your breathing during the mammogram can help reduce discomfort and fear.<\/li>\n<li>If ok\u2019d by your clinician, an over the counter ibuprofen (Advil or Motrin) or acetaminophen (Tylenol) an hour before your mammogram can help with discomfort.<\/li>\n<li>A mammogram during the first two weeks of your menstrual cycle when you breasts are less tender may feel better.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>What are the types of mammograms?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Both screening and diagnostic mammograms try to find breast cancer early.<\/li>\n<li>A screening study takes pictures of your breasts when you are not having any symptoms and can find a cancer years before you can feel a lump.<\/li>\n<li>A diagnostic study uses mammograms and may also include an ultrasound. Each patients needs are different. The doctor will look at the pictures decide if you may need more testing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Screening Mammograms<\/h2>\n<h3>Who should get one?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Breast doctors and most health organizations recommend a screening mammogram for most women starting at age 40.<\/li>\n<li>Your breast doctors recommend a mammogram every year because it saves the most lives by finding breast cancer early when it is most treatable.<\/li>\n<li>Depending on your family history of breast cancer and other personal medical history, a screening mammogram earlier than age 40 or a breast MRI may be recommended. Talk with your clinician to make the best plan for you.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How long do they take?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Screening mammograms usually take 20 minutes and you can leave the clinic as soon as the pictures are taken.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>When do I get my results?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Results from your screening mammogram should be available within one to three days, but can take up to 2 weeks if your prior mammograms are from a different hospital.<\/li>\n<li>You can use the MyChart app or logon (https:\/\/myuncchart.org\/MyChart\/). You will receive a letter in the mail in about a week if you have not viewed your results on MyChart.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Diagnostic Mammograms and Ultrasounds<\/h2>\n<h3>Who gets a diagnostic study?<\/h3>\n<p>You will be recommended for a diagnostic study if:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>The doctor sees something on the screening mammogram or screening MRI and wants more pictures. This is a \u201ccall back.\u201d<\/li>\n<li>Or if your clinician feels something in your breast during your office exam.<\/li>\n<li>Or for patients who feel a lump, see skin or nipple changes, or have nipple discharge.<\/li>\n<li>Or if the doctor has been watching something on your prior mammograms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>How long does it take to get a diagnostic study?<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>From start to finish, the diagnostic study will take longer than the screening study. Depending on many factors, you may be in the department up to 2 hours. The breast imaging doctor will look at your pictures while you wait.<\/li>\n<li>Depending on what the breast imaging doctor sees, they may recommend taking more mammograms to look at a part of your breast better.<\/li>\n<li>Depending on what the breast imaging doctor sees, they may also recommend you get an ultrasound after your mammogram to look at a part of your breast closer.<\/li>\n<li>Each patients needs are\u00a0 different. The doctor will look at your diagnostic pictures very closely and your will get your results at the end of the study.<\/li>\n<li>There is also the possibility that the doctor will recommend that you return to the clinic on another day for a small procedure to take a sample of breast tissue to provide more information. This is called a \u201cbreast biopsy.\u201d\u00a0 Please see \u201cBreast Biopsy\u201d sheet for more details about this procedure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Questions?<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>The UNC Mammography Clinic can be reached at (984)-974-8762 if you have any questions.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1384\/2024\/05\/Screening-vs.-Diagnostic.pdf\">Screening VS Diagnostic Patient Education Resource PDF<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>How are mammograms performed? Mammograms use a small and safe amount of radiation to take pictures of your breasts. Your mammogram will be performed by a female technologist in a private room. You will undress from the waist up and wear a small gown. The technologist will place each breast on a platform and a &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/patient-care\/for-patients\/exam-prep-patient-education-resources\/mammograms\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Mammograms\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":83776,"featured_media":0,"parent":193,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"layout":"","cellInformation":"","apiCallInformation":"","footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"class_list":["post-8616","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry","odd"],"acf":[],"_links_to":[],"_links_to_target":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8616","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/83776"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8616"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8616\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8617,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8616\/revisions\/8617"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.med.unc.edu\/radiology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8616"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}