Mammogram

Mammograms can detect tumors that are too small for you or a health professional to feel or before symptoms develop.

Our highest priority is making sure you get the care you need, when you need it, in the safest way possible. You don't have to delay care. And we offer convenient online scheduling. Simply select the Schedule a Mammogram Online button above to reserve your spot today.

Mammography is an x-ray procedure used to detect breast changes. While they can't prevent breast cancer, they can reduce the risk of dying from the disease. 

Screening Guidelines

Breast cancer screening helps us identify cancer even before you notice breast cancer symptoms. Women at average risk for breast cancer should follow these guidelines:

• Women who are 40 years old: May begin yearly screening with a mammogram.
• Women over 40: Get a mammogram every year.
• Women 55 and older: Continue with an annual mammogram or switch to a mammogram every other year until your life expectancy is less than 10 years.

If you have a high breast cancer risk (20 to 25 percent or greater according to risk assessment tools), you may need a breast MRI as well as a mammogram every year, beginning around age 30. To understand your risk, take our breast cancer risk profiler and talk to your primary care provider or OB/GYN.

Convenient Locations

Women can schedule a digital screening mammogram at any of Lancaster General Health’s convenient locations, with no doctor’s order required. Each location follows the same gold standard protocols, and all mammograms are sent electronically to the Suzanne H. Arnold Center for Breast Health to be interpreted by a board-certified radiologist dedicated to breast imaging. We typically contact women with results within 24 hours of their screening mammograms.

Advanced 3D mammogram services are available at all locations. Both 2D and 3D mammogram types use very low X-ray energy, well within FDA safety standards. Your doctor can provide further guidance.

The Suzanne H. Arnold Center for Breast Health

The Suzanne H. Arnold Center for Breast Health is a state-of-the-art facility at the Suburban Pavilion, adjacent to the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute. Accredited by the American College of Radiology, the Center was designed to provide women with the highest level of breast health screening and diagnostic services, in a supportive, spa-like environment.  

Preparing for Your Mammogram

Before Your Appointment

• Schedule your appointment during the two weeks following the end of your menstrual period
• Reduce caffeine intake three to five days in advance if your breasts are tender

Note: The COVID-19 vaccines can cause swollen lymph nodes after the vaccine is administered. This is a natural response and means your immune system is doing its job. However, the enlarged lymph nodes can show up in a screening mammogram leading to a false positive or confusing result, requiring additional and unnecessary diagnostic testing. Therefore, we recommend you schedule your screening mammogram either before receiving your first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine or 4 weeks after your second (final) dose. If you would like to reschedule your screening mammogram, please call Centralized Scheduling at 717-544-5941.

Tell Your Provider if You

• Are or could be pregnant
• Are breastfeeding
• Have breast implants
• Have had a breast biopsy

Getting Your Results

If a mammogram indicates abnormal results, our team will streamline the next steps needed to get the patient timely and appropriate diagnostic testing, whether that means a follow-up mammogram, high-resolution ultrasound, breast MRI, or minimally invasive biopsy. The Center is equipped and staffed to perform all diagnostic procedures on site.

If the patient receives a diagnosis of breast cancer, we take the time to explain the test results and the various options they may be presented with for treatment. We also schedule the patient for an appointment with a surgeon or oncologist from the Ann B. Barshinger Cancer Institute, to ensure a smooth transition of care.

Additional Information

More Information About 3D/Tomosynthesis

3D/Tomosynthesis technology allows doctors to see masses and distortion associated with cancers and precancerous cells more clearly. Images of the breast are captured from multiple angles, in thin slices that can be examined individually, or combined to create a 3D image of your breast. This makes it easier to detect abnormalities such as cancer which show up as white areas; because the radiologist is looking at very thin sections one at a time, those white areas are less likely to be obscured by dense breast tissue which also appears white on the images.

When 3D technology was first introduced, there was concern that the few extra seconds of radiation would expose women to a higher dose of radiation. At Lancaster General Health, the radiation dose for 3D screening mammography is now the same low dose as 2D, but with the added benefits of better detection and fewer false positives. Most insurance plans cover 3D mammography.

Financial Support

Mammograms Available Free of Charge for Those Who Qualify

The HealthyWoman Program (HWP), a free breast and cervical cancer early detection program funded by the PA Department of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is offered by these Lancaster General Health Physician Family Medicine practices: Crooked Oak, Family & Maternity Medicine.

Lancaster General Health also provides free screening mammograms throughout the community, funded by grants from Help the Fight, and Tanger.

You may be eligible:

• If you are 40-64 years of age
• If you have no insurance and low to moderate income
• If your insurance does not cover screening mammograms
• If your insurance deductible is high and stopping you from getting a screening mammogram

To schedule your FREE screening mammogram, call 717-544-5941.

Talk to your healthcare provider if you are having any breast symptoms such as pain or lumps. These will require a diagnostic mammogram, not a screening mammogram. Our Healthy Woman program can provide assistance with those services.