Mammograms are a way to screen women for breast cancer. These images can show abnormalities in the breast that are not found during a physical exam.

A woman's breasts may change throughout her menstrual cycle, such as becoming more sensitive, or even slightly increasing or decreasing in size and shape. This may be due to the flow of hormones such as Estrogen and Progesterone throughout a woman's cycle.

Breast calcifications are small deposits of calcium that appear on a mammogram as bright white spots or dots in the soft tissue of the breast. This is because calcium readily absorbs X-rays during a mammogram. Calcifications do not usually show up on an ultrasound and will never show up on a breast MRI.

Breast cancer screening is a measure to help detect the disease early, increase treatment efficiency, and reduce costs and time. In disease screening methods, imaging plays an important role in diagnosing and detecting abnormalities in the mammary glands, especially breast cancer.