A mammography is a radiological examination of the breast. It has to be slightly compressed for this – two X-rays are taken of each breast. The digital images are then stored in our image archive and are therefore always available for comparison.

The compression of the breast can be slightly unpleasant, but the examination does not take very long. We recommend that hormonally active women make an appointment for the examination in the second week of their cycle because the breast is then at its least sensitive.

As part of the new early detection programme for breast cancer, women between the ages of 45 and 70 are invited by letter to a mammography screening every two years. Women between the ages of 40 and 44 and from the age of 70 have the possibility of requesting an invitation to a mammography screening by telephone on the hotline 0800 500 181 or online at www.frueh-erkennen.at.

The radiation dose of a mammography for two X-rays per breast only corresponds to about ten per cent of the natural radiation to which we are exposed on average per year in Austria. Through regular mammography examinations, cancer can be detected when it is still at a treatable stage. Since breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women, it is a much larger risk not to have the examination.

We recommend that you come in the second week of your cycle. Women who do not have a cycle can make the appointments for examinations at any time. On the day of the examination, please do not use any cream or powder and inform us beforehand if you could be pregnant. If you have any images or results of earlier examinations, surgical reports or histological results, please bring these with you to the mammography.