You Get a Mammogram With Nipple Piercings? You’re probably concerned that your nipple piercings will make it difficult to get a mammogram. But, what is can nipple piercings you get a mammogram with nipple piercings you may have heard, you can still get an accurate screening.
The radiologist will ask the technologist to take extra views and perform compression for longer periods of time, which helps the breast tissue spread out more evenly. That makes it easier to find potential signs of cancer on a mammogram.
“We know that women who have breast implants and women who have nipple piercings are at average risk for breast cancer,” says Karla Kerlikowske, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. “As long as they’re getting mammograms according to the guidelines that apply to their age group, they should be fine.”
You get a mammogram with nipple piercings
You can get a mammogram with nipple piercings. Mammography is the best way to find breast cancer early, when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. A mammogram is an x-ray of the breast. It is used to look for early signs of breast cancer in women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease. If you have nipple piercings, they will not interfere with your screening mammogram and are not a health risk.
When you arrive for your screening mammogram, tell the technologist if you have nipple piercings.
The technologist will ask you to remove your shirt and bra, so that only a gown will separate your breasts from the x-ray machine when the images are taken. The technologist will position your breasts on the mammography machine and compress them between two firm surfaces (plates) to spread out the breast tissue for better image quality. These plates may push the piercing up against your skin, but this has never been shown to cause problems such as bleeding or infection. However, if you have severe pain during compression, tell the technologist so she can stop compressing your breasts and repeat the images with less
If you have nipple piercings, it’s not time to freak out just yet. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, you can still get a mammogram with nipple piercings. In fact, they say that having your breast screening done with your nipple jewelry in will not change the results of your test. This is great news considering that breast cancer is the most common cancer for women worldwide.
The only concern to be aware of is that when you have your mammogram done with nipple piercings, there is a higher chance of misreading the test results because the metal from your piercing could get in the way of certain parts of your mammogram image (via Breast Cancer). However, this doesn’t mean there’s a 100 percent chance of having a false negative or positive result.
In order to make sure you’re getting as accurate of a reading as possible, it’s important to inform your doctor about any metal objects on or in your body before receiving a mammogram. The U.S. National Library of Medicine says that if you have any type of metallic object inside of or on top of your body, it can interfere with the imaging process by distorting or obscuring the area being studied (via Medline Plus).
Breast cancer is the second most common cancer in women after skin cancers. Because of this, it is recommended that women over the age of 45 get mammograms every two years.
But what if you have nipple piercings? Can you still get a mammogram? The short answer is yes, with some caveats.
For one thing, the American Cancer Society recommends that you remove nipple jewelry before getting a mammogram. However, if you can’t remove your jewelry for some reason, let your healthcare provider know and they will figure out how to proceed.
Nipple piercings do not change your risk of developing breast cancer, but they can affect whether or not a mammogram is able to detect it. Having nipple piercings may make it more difficult for radiologists to interpret your mammogram results because it may be hard to interpret any changes in the tissue around your piercing.
It seems counterintuitive that something as small as nipple piercings would affect your ability to detect breast cancer on a mammogram, but consider this: According to the National Cancer Institute, early detection increases survival rates and decreases treatment costs by 97 percent. That’s no small amount!
That said, we don’t want something as small as nipple jewelry getting in the way of
Mammograms are the most effective way to detect breast cancer in its earliest stages.
You may be concerned if you have nipple or breast piercings, though. Will they interfere with the test?
Typically, you can remove your nipple jewelry and get a mammogram. However, it’s important to understand the risks of having breast piercings.
Getting a mammogram is scary enough without the added stress of worrying about your nipple piercings. But you don’t have to worry–it’s not harder for you to get a mammogram compared to anyone else, and it won’t hurt your piercings.
When you go in for your mammogram, make sure to tell the technician that you have nipple piercings. They’ll remove them before doing the test.
What to Know About Breast Implants, Breast Cancer and Mammograms
Mammograms are the standard screening and diagnostic tool for breast cancer.
A mammogram is considered safe for a woman with breast implants to have, but extra steps may be needed to get a clear picture of the breast tissue.
The American Cancer Society recommends women with an average risk of developing breast cancer should start annual mammograms at age 45. Women who are at higher risk of developing breast cancer should talk to their health care provider about starting screening mammograms before age 45.
Mammography is considered safe for patients with breast implants, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS). But more steps may be needed to get a clear picture of the breast tissue.
It’s important to let your mammography technologist know if you have breast implants or if you’ve had any changes in your breasts since your last mammogram. The technologist will use special techniques and positioning to get the best possible images and may need additional views. This can usually be done in one visit, but you might need to schedule a follow-up appointment if additional images are needed.
Some women might have a hard time scheduling an appointment at a facility that has experience reading mammograms in women