Women’s OBGYN in Atlanta and Alpharetta GA offers a mammogram

Women’s OBGYN: does it hurt to have a mammogram?

Women’s OBGYN can help you whether you have a regular mammogram screening every year or if you are preparing for your first time, however, no matter how experienced you are, all women at one time or another have wondered, is this going to hurt?

There is some discomfort involved during the imaging process. However, the pain can usually pass quickly if you take steps to reduce it.

Mammograms can be a tool that can save lives which will take a detailed x-ray image of your breasts. Early-stage breast cancer can be revealed during a mammogram, this can increase your chance of beating the disease significantly.

So, you can probably agree that finding the early stages of breast cancer can be worth the brief moments of discomfort that may be experienced during this procedure.

Will it hurt?

Whether or not a mammogram will hurt depends on a number of factors, including:

• Anxiety about the scan
• The skill of the technician performing the mammogram
• Structure of the breast

Some issues can occur if the position of the machine is not correct. For example, some patients may have to contort their backs because of the height of the mammogram machine. This can result in neck or back pain from straining the muscles.

Letting the technician know if the position of the machine feels uncomfortable will be important since this will mean that it is at the wrong height.

Are there any side effects?

There shouldn’t be any long-term or alarming side effects to the tissues in your breasts from a mammogram.

Just like any other x-ray exam, a mammogram will expose you to a small amount of radiation. This has caused an ongoing debate as to how often a woman should have a mammogram performed.

The amount of radiation that you will be exposed to is minimal, the benefits of having a test done for breast cancer as early as possible can outweigh the side effects or risks of the radiation exposure.

What if there is some pain afterward?

You can speak with your doctor about the use of Motrin or Tylenol if you are experiencing any pain or discomfort after your examination.

Even though there may be some discomfort that will be associated with your mammogram, most women are able to tolerate the process well.

Women’s OBGYN in Atlanta and Alpharetta GA

Women’s OBGYN can help you to understand how to prepare for this simple and non-invasive exam.

Detecting and treating breast cancer within its early stages can mean that there is an excellent chance of treatment and survival.

A mammogram is a useful tool for detecting and treating breast cancer even though it can be uncomfortable for a short period of time.

Contact your top Alpharetta and Atlanta OBGYN for your obstetrics and gynecology care.