Breast screening for breastfeeding women – English - HE2953

It's your choice

If you are breastfeeding and due for a mammogram with BreastScreen Aotearoa, it’s your choice whether you screen or delay your appointment until you have finished breastfeeding.

A few things you may want to consider include:

• Breast screening is safe for women who are breastfeeding.
• A mammogram is also safe for your breastfed baby, as there’s no absorption of X-rays through breastmilk.
• A mammogram may be more uncomfortable if your breasts are full of milk.
• The appearance of the breast on the mammogram can change during breastfeeding, which can make it harder to find cancers.
• To produce a good picture during breastfeeding, the amount of radiation used during the mammogram may need to be increased.
• The amount of breastfeeding you are currently doing may influence your decision to have a mammogram or to delay it. If you are breastfeeding multiple times each day your mammogram can be more uncomfortable than usual and may require more radiation compared to if you are only breastfeeding once or twice a day.
• If you do decide to breast screen, you’ll be asked to breastfeed or express milk just before your appointment so that your breasts are as empty as possible. This may help make your mammogram more comfortable.

Please call us on freephone 0800 270 200 if you have any questions or wish to discuss your screening options or go to Breast screening for further information.