Whether to do ultrasound of the mammary glands

Today, this is one of the most common instrumental methods used to study the structure of the breast, which enables the doctor to detect the presence of certain diseases that are accompanied by the appearance in the chest of seals and other formations. This is absolutely painless, safe and effective method of diagnosis, which helps prevent many diseases of the breast, so you should not think about whether to do ultrasound of the mammary glands. Any woman should understand that health is entirely in her own hands. So, a visit to a mammologist should be an indispensable annual ritual from the age of 17.

Those women who are already forty years old are required to consult a doctor and perform ultrasound diagnosis of the breast at least twice a year. Another risk group is the nulliparous women and those who first gave birth to a child after they turned 35 years old. Also, there should not be any doubt as to whether to do ultrasound of mammary glands those women whose relatives had oncological diseases.

With the help of ultrasound, very small cysts and nodules can be found that can not be felt through the skin. Particular attention during the procedure of breast ultrasound should be given also to regional lymph nodes, a change in which can serve as a sign of breast cancer.

It should also be said that the conduct of ultrasound during pregnancy is also possible. This procedure can not harm neither the woman herself, nor her future baby, but will give the opportunity not to worry about the health of both the child and her own. Moreover, the detection of malignant formations at the earliest stages is considered a serious moment for any pregnant woman, so even the question of whether to do an ultrasound of the mammary glands to a pregnant woman should not even arise. However, breast ultrasound during pregnancy sometimes gives a false-negative result, because the female breast is gradually changing during this period. In this regard, the problem of different neoplasms in the mammary gland in pregnant women is considered quite important and requires the attention of many specialists: obstetrician-gynecologists, oncologists, geneticists, US specialists, radiologists.

The structure of the breast is very susceptible to changes that are associated with a hormonal background that changes throughout the menstrual cycle. Therefore, when assigning an ultrasound of the mammary glands, the day of the cycle should fall on the first part - usually from 5 to 9 days. It is in this period of the cycle that you can get the most objective information about the condition of your mammary glands, and this will become almost indispensable when diagnosing a mammologist.

Ultrasound of the breast is advised to do prophylactically (even if there are no changes in the glands) to absolutely all women over the age of 35 at least once in 2 years, and women over 50 years - at least twice a year. In addition, breast ultrasound may be prescribed by a mammalogist to clarify the nature of some changes in the mammary gland with certain diseases (eg, mastopathy, fibroadenoma, etc.), trauma, and also for an objective evaluation of the effectiveness of treatment of certain breast diseases. Therefore, if you ask any doctor whether to do ultrasound of the mammary glands, then the answer will be unambiguous - to do necessarily.

When it is necessary to do ultrasound of the mammary glands, preparation is not required, since this is a very simple method of diagnosis. When performing ultrasound, the woman's breast should be exposed, and the patient should lie on her back or on her side (in case the mammary glands are large).

Breast ultrasound will help the doctor to detect the presence of foci in the breast, the nature, density and shape of which make it possible to prescribe a diagnosis and, if necessary, to prescribe other methods of research (for example, mammography, breast puncture, etc.).