Digital Mammography (Both Breasts)
A focused scan for Breast tissue, Calcifications, Masses.
Overview
Examines Breast tissue, Calcifications, Masses. Performed at an NABL-accredited Meridian Health centre with a same-day report and a free doctor review.
The full panel
3 areas across 1 groupEvery parameter, grouped by body system — no clicking to expand.
What this scan measures
Low-dose X-ray images of both breasts, taken in two standard projections each, with the breast gently compressed between two plates. It is designed to show masses, distortions in the tissue architecture and microcalcifications — tiny flecks of calcium too small to feel, which can be the earliest visible sign of a change in the breast.
A diagnostic mammogram is ordered when there is a symptom — a lump, skin or nipple change, or discharge — and to work up an abnormality found on screening or examination. Additional views and a targeted ultrasound are often performed in the same visit.
Symptoms that lead to this scan
- A new lump or thickening in the breast or armpit
- Skin dimpling, puckering or an orange-peel appearance
- Nipple retraction, or blood-stained nipple discharge
- Persistent, localised breast pain
- Follow-up of a previously reported abnormality
Understanding your results
Reports are issued with a BI-RADS category, which is a recommendation rather than a diagnosis: it runs from a normal study through 'probably benign, repeat in six months' to 'suspicious, biopsy indicated'. The report also states breast density, because dense tissue appears white on a mammogram and can both hide a lesion and increase risk — this is why an ultrasound is often added for younger women and dense breasts. Only a biopsy can establish what a lesion actually is; the mammogram decides whether one is needed.
Why the preparation matters
Do not apply talcum powder, deodorant, antiperspirant, perfume or lotion on the breasts or under the arms on the day — many contain aluminium or metallic particles that appear as tiny white specks and mimic microcalcifications, which is the single most avoidable cause of a callback. If you still have periods, booking in the week after your period usually makes compression far more comfortable, since the breasts are least tender then. Bring your previous mammogram films or report: comparison with prior imaging changes interpretation more than any other single factor.
Mammography — safety and who should not be scanned
Full Mammography guideThis is a low-dose ionising radiation test. Published reference figures put a standard two-view examination of both breasts at roughly the natural background radiation of about seven weeks. That dose is small enough that, for women in the age groups where screening is recommended, the benefit of finding disease earlier is generally judged to outweigh it — a judgement that shifts with age and risk, which is why the screening interval is a conversation with your doctor rather than a fixed rule.
- Pregnancy, or possible pregnancy
- Screening mammography is deferred in pregnancy. If a breast symptom needs investigating during pregnancy, ultrasound is used first, and a mammogram is performed with abdominal shielding only when it is genuinely necessary.
- Breastfeeding
- Lactating breast tissue is dense and reduces the sensitivity of a mammogram. Ultrasound is usually preferred for a symptom during breastfeeding; where a mammogram is needed, feeding or expressing immediately beforehand improves the images.
- Age under about 30–40, with dense breast tissue
- Younger breasts are dense and appear white on a mammogram, which can hide a lesion of similar density. Ultrasound is the appropriate first test for a lump in a younger woman; a mammogram is added when the clinical picture requires it.
- Breast implants
- Implants obscure tissue behind them and can, very rarely, be damaged by compression. Tell the centre when you book so that additional implant-displacement (Eklund) views are planned and the radiographer can adjust the compression.
- Recent breast surgery, biopsy or an open wound
- Compression over a healing wound or a recent biopsy site is painful and can disrupt healing. The examination is usually postponed, and the timing discussed with your surgeon.
- Inability to tolerate positioning or compression
- The examination needs you to stand or sit still with the shoulder and arm positioned. Frozen shoulder, severe kyphosis, a port or pacemaker near the field, or limited mobility all need mentioning so the views can be adapted.
Who should consider this scan
- Any woman with a new breast lump or nipple change
- Women recalled after a screening mammogram
- Women with a strong family history of breast or ovarian cancer
- Anyone under surveillance after previous breast treatment
- Women over 40 discussing screening intervals with their doctor
Conditions it helps detect
How it works
Patient stories
96% recommend“The phlebotomist arrived exactly on time and was gentle. My report came in five hours with a doctor’s note.”
“Booked at night, sample collected next morning. The parameter breakdown is genuinely thorough.”
“Loved the free doctor review — she walked me through my vitamin D and thyroid results clearly.”