Preventative Healthcare

A mammogram is an X-ray picture of the breast. Doctors use a mammogram to look for early signs of breast cancer. Regular mammograms are the best tests doctors have to find breast cancer early, sometimes up to three years before it can be felt.

Regular mammograms are the best tests doctors have to find breast cancer early.

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Women generally get their first mammograms around 40 years old. However, if there is a history of breast cancer in your family, or if you have reason to believe you may have breast cancer, you should be screened sooner mammograms. 

The day of your test you should not wear powders, lotions, or deodorants. Most of these products have substances that can show on the X-ray. They can make your mammogram hard to interpret.

Your ob-gyn or other health care professional may examine your breasts during routine checkups. This is called a clinical breast exam. The exam may be done while you are lying down or sitting up.

The breasts are checked for any changes in size or shape, puckers, dimples, or redness of the skin. Your ob-gyn or other health care professional may feel for changes in each breast and under each arm.

Many women have abnormal cervical cancer screening results. An abnormal result does not mean that you have cancer. Remember that cervical cell changes often go back to normal on their own. If they do not, it often takes several years for even high-grade changes to become cancer.

If you have an abnormal screening test result, additional testing is needed to find out whether high-grade changes or cancer actually is present. If results of follow-up tests indicate high-grade changes, you may need treatment to remove the abnormal cells.

In a bone mineral density (BMD) test, bone density is measured at the heel, spine, hip, hand, or wrist. Several types of BMD tests are available. The most common method for measuring BMD is a DEXA scan.

All women aged 65 years or older should have a BMD test. Women who are younger than 65 years and past menopause should have a BMD test if they have had a bone fracture because of fragile bones or have other risk factors for osteoporosis, such as rheumatoid arthritis, smoking, alcoholism, a history of hip fracture in a parent, or a body weight less than 127 pounds.