Another community service brought to you by Cleo, via pelf-ism is contagious *winks*
What is Mammography?
High quality mammography is the most effective tool available to detect breast cancer before symptoms appear - often before a lump can be felt.
A mammography is an x-ray of the breast. The standard screening examination includes two views of each breast, one from above and one angled from the side. A qualified technologist places the breasts between two plates which are pressed together. The idea is to flatten the breasts as much as possible, as spreading the tissue out makes any abnormal details easier to spot with minimum of radiation. The pressure from the plates may be uncomfortable, but it helps to remember that each x-ray takes less than one minute, and it could save your life.
If a lesion is seen or felt, a very small, fine needle is placed in it and small amounts of cells are extracted to check for malignancy. This is called a biopsy. However, mammography may not be as effective if the breast tissue is dense, as it is in younger women. In this case, the doctor may suggest an ultrasound as well.
Read more about Mammography and Breast Cancer.
What’s an Ultrasound?
It’s an imaging method that sends high-frequency sound waves through the breast via a hand-held device. The echoes from these sound waves will be picked up and translated into an image by the computer, where the radiologist can get a view of the inside of your breasts. It’s a useful method that’s non-invasive and doesn’t expose you to radiation.
Read more about Ultrasound.
But of course, you may also learn more about mammography and ultrasound if you Googled them - there are tonnes of information in the WWW.
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waaa…you know, i heard that mamograms hurt like hell!! leaves u blue black.
pelf: That, I have not heard of..
and can men go for mammograms? lol
pelf: Err.. I really have no idea..
tis true….mum told me. isnt this the one where they practically squash ur boobies unto some x-ray machine?
pelf: Hmm.. But my Mum never complained about the blue blacks.. Opps…