Diane Pelusi, a mammographer, left, and Judy Hansotte, the nurse navigator for Butler health System's Women's Imaging Center, check a patient's information.

Judy Hansotte, the nurse navigator for the Women's Imaging Center at the Butler Health System at its Crossroads Campus, 129 Oneida Valley Road, says women should begin to get annual mammograms when they turn 40 years old.

A yearly screening mammogram is ordered through the patient's primary care physician or gynecologist.

The mammogram procedure can be performed at the imaging center or at a Butler Health Systems site in Slippery Rock at the Butler Health Systems Outpatient Center at 100 Innovative Drive, Suite 100.

A mammogram should be done sooner if a lump or abnormality is detected during breast self examination.

Mammography is a process using low-energy X-rays to examine the human breast for diagnostic and screening.

The goal for mammography is the early detection of breast cancer, typically through detection of masses or calcifications. These mammograms allow radiologists to manipulate contrast on the image results, making it easier to diagnose problems.

The 20-minute procedure unfortunately involves squeezing the breasts to give the instruments a better view of the inside of the breasts.

The mammogram is performed by a registered mammography technologist, and the mammogram is interpreted by a board-certified radiologist, a physician who specializes in reading X-rays.

Depending on the results of the screening mammogram, the patient may be referred for a diagnostic mammogram and, if warranted, further treatment.