Mammogram: What to Expect and How to Prepare

The compression is what makes the image work. Flattening the breast spreads the tissue out so that overlapping structures do not hide one another, holds it still, and lets the machine use less radiation. It lasts seconds per image.

Two images are usually taken of each breast, from different angles. A radiographer positions you and takes them; specialist doctors read them afterwards.

Screening is for people with no symptoms. It exists to find changes before anything can be felt, and it is designed to be quick and straightforward.

Your doctor can arrange the right examination — usually a diagnostic mammogram, often with an ultrasound, and sometimes a biopsy. This matters even if you have had a normal mammogram recently: mammography does not find every breast cancer, and a new symptom needs its own assessment.

BreastScreen Australia is a national program run through state and territory services. Screening there is free, no referral is required, and you book directly with the service.

The program writes to people in its target age range to invite them, and also accepts people outside that range at either end depending on age. Because those ages and the invitation arrangements are set by the program and are updated from time to time, this page does not restate them — the BreastScreen Australia page linked in the sources below carries the current position.

Whether screening is right for you, when to start, and how often, are decisions to make with your doctor. Family history and other personal factors can change that conversation, and this page deliberately does not answer it for you.

• Do not use deodorant, antiperspirant, talcum powder, perfume or body lotion on your breasts or underarms on the day — some contain particles that can show on the image and be mistaken for a change in the breast.
• Wear a separate top and bottom, so you only need to undress from the waist up.
• If your breasts are tender at particular times in your cycle, ask to book a day when they are usually less so.
• If it would help, you can take your usual pain relief before the appointment — check with your pharmacist or doctor if you are unsure.

You can still have a mammogram if you have used deodorant by mistake; the service will usually give you a wipe. It is worth mentioning rather than saying nothing.

None of these means you cannot have a mammogram. They change how the appointment is planned — how long it takes, how you are positioned, and occasionally whether a different test is more suitable. Staff would far rather know when you book than discover it in the room.

1. You undress from the waist up, in a private cubicle, and put on a gown.
2. The radiographer explains the positions and asks about your breast history.
3. They place one breast on the plate and guide you into position — this is hands-on, and they will tell you what they are doing.
4. The upper plate lowers until the breast is held firmly. You hold still, and often hold your breath, for a few seconds.
5. The pressure releases immediately after each image. This is repeated for the other angle, and for the other breast.
6. The radiographer checks the images are clear before you dress.

You are alone in the room for the moment each image is taken, but the radiographer is a step away behind a screen and in conversation with you throughout.

Occasionally an image has to be repeated because of movement or positioning. That is a quality check, not a finding.

How it feels varies a lot between people, and for the same person at different times of the month. Tender breasts make it harder. Occasionally there is brief redness or bruising afterwards, which settles on its own.

Radiographers do this all day and are practised at getting a usable image with as little discomfort as possible. Tell them if it is too much — they can adjust, pause, or release and try again. It is worth saying at the time rather than enduring it.

At a screening service the images are not read while you wait — they are reviewed afterwards, by more than one specialist doctor. That is why the appointment is short.

At a private radiology practice, a radiologist often reviews the images during the visit and may request extra views or an ultrasound before you leave. Allow more time for that, and ask the practice what to expect when you book.

Mammography machines are built for breast tissue and use a low dose. Everyone is also exposed to ionising radiation continuously from natural sources, and the dose from a mammogram is small against that ongoing background exposure.

The compression contributes here too: a flattened, still breast needs less radiation to image clearly than a thicker one.

If you have questions about radiation and your own circumstances, the doctor who referred you, or the service performing the examination, can talk them through with you.

The two pathways differ, which is a common source of confusion. Through BreastScreen, the result comes to you — and you can ask for it to go to your doctor as well. Through a private practice on a doctor’s referral, the report goes to that doctor, and you discuss it at a follow-up appointment.

Ask the service when to expect your result, and who it will be sent to, before you leave.

A screening mammogram is a first look. Some images show an area that cannot be resolved from the screening views alone — dense tissue, an overlap, a cyst, or something that simply needs another angle. The way to settle it is more pictures.

An assessment visit usually means extra mammogram views and often an ultrasound, sometimes a needle biopsy, and typically takes longer than the screening appointment did. You can bring someone with you, and it is reasonable to ask how long results will take before you leave.

Waiting for that appointment is stressful, and services know it. If the wait is causing you distress, say so when they call — and talk to your own doctor in the meantime.

You can drive, work and do everything else immediately. If you have brief tenderness or bruising from the compression, ordinary pain relief and time are usually all that is needed.

Keep being aware of how your breasts normally look and feel, whatever your result was, and see your doctor about any new change. If you become unwell, contact your doctor. In an emergency, call 000.

You can book a screening appointment with your state or territory BreastScreen service yourself. There is no fee and no referral required.

If you have a symptom, or your doctor wants imaging for a particular reason, that is arranged by referral to an imaging provider. Whether a Medicare benefit applies, and how much of the fee it covers, depends on the item and your circumstances. Some providers bulk bill; others charge a fee, and you pay the difference between that fee and any Medicare benefit.

• Ask the imaging provider what the examination will cost you before you book, and whether they bulk bill it.
• Ask whether an ultrasound on the same visit is charged separately.
• Services Australia publishes current information on Medicare and bulk billing, and MBS Online publishes the Medicare Benefits Schedule itself. Both are linked in the sources below.