Written for patients: what the scan can and cannot answer, the radiation involved, what to tell the team beforehand, and what the radiologist's report will say.

What Mammography shows

Breast tissue, and specifically the three things that matter: masses, distortion of the normal architecture, and microcalcifications — clusters of calcium flecks far too small to feel, which can be the earliest visible sign of change in the breast. It also reports breast density, which affects both interpretation and future risk.

How it works, and what it feels like

The breast is positioned on a flat detector and compressed by a paddle while a low-dose X-ray exposure is taken, usually in two projections per breast. The compression is brief and firm, and it is not optional: it spreads overlapping tissue apart so lesions are not hidden, holds the breast still, and — because less tissue depth needs penetrating — it actually reduces the radiation dose. Tomosynthesis (3D mammography), where available, sweeps the tube through a small arc to build thin slices that reduce the tissue-overlap problem further.

Safety and radiation

This 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.

Who should not have a Mammography scan

Tell the team before your scan if any of these apply

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.

When a Mammography is ordered

Screening in well women, at the interval agreed with their doctor
A new breast lump, thickening or skin change
Nipple retraction or blood-stained discharge
Assessment of an abnormality found on examination or ultrasound
Surveillance after previous breast cancer treatment
Screening in women with a strong family history, usually starting earlier

Contrast and preparation

Standard mammography uses no contrast and no injection. Contrast-enhanced mammography and MR mammography exist for specific problem-solving situations, and a targeted ultrasound is very commonly added in the same visit — but the routine examination is X-ray alone.

What your report will cover

The report describes each breast and both axillae, states the breast density category, describes any mass, asymmetry, distortion or calcification with its location, and — crucially — concludes with a BI-RADS assessment category carrying a specific recommendation: routine screening, short-interval follow-up, or biopsy. Comparison with previous mammograms is explicitly part of the interpretation.

How it works

The path from booking to results

Book in the app

Choose your tests, pick a slot that works, and pay when it suits you.

We come to you

A phlebotomist visits home at your chosen time — or drop by a partner lab instead.

Processed at an NABL lab

Every sample is handled at one of our accredited labs, tracked end to end.

Report + doctor review

Your digital report lands with a complimentary read-through from a doctor.

Book a Mammogram in Pune

All assessments

Digital Mammography (Both Breasts)

Screening Mammography

Mammography — what it shows, and who it is not for