Everything you need to know about breast screening at OneWelbeck, and how breast density affects images.
Breast Screening & Breast Density Enhanced Breast Screening
2025
Contents
This booklet has been created to provide you with useful information about different aspects of your care with us. Our aim is to support you towards the best possible experience – if you have any questions at any point, just ask, your clinical team is only an email or phone call away.
01 02 03 04 05
Before your appointment
During your appointment
After your appointment
Your results
Breast density
06
Getting here & contact details
ENHANCED BREAST SCREENING
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Welcome to Enhanced Breast Screening at Welbeck
01. Before your appointment
If you’ve had a previous mammography elsewhere, it’s important that you inform the centre prior to your appointment, so that these images can be retrieved. The consultant radiologist will compare the new mammograms with any that you have had in the past. Where possible, please avoid using deodorants, antiperspirants, powders, lotions, creams or perfumes under your arms or on your breasts on the day of your appointment. Metallic particles in powders and deodorants could be visible on your mammogram and create an inaccurate image. Some women may feel a slight discomfort whilst having a mammogram, and a few may find it painful, but only for a few seconds. Taking a light pain relief, such as paracetamol, before the examination may help to alleviate the discomfort.
If you’re still having periods, try to schedule your appointment the week after your period, as your breasts may be less tender and swollen at this time.
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ENHANCED BREAST SCREENING
WOMEN’S HEALTH
02. During our appointment
A female radiographer who specialises in mammography will ask you about any breast problems or concerns, explain the procedure, and will be available for you to ask any questions. The mammographer will always be happy to discuss breast awareness in more detail should you wish for any further information.
Your breast screening visit should take about half an hour from start to finish.
When at the appointment, you’ll be asked to undress from the waist up and remove any neck jewellery.
The mammographer will place 1 breast at a time between 2 special plates on the mammogram machine. She will then take 2 or more images of each breast. Your breast needs to be pressed gently but firmly between the plates for a few seconds while the images are captured. The pressure is firm to help keep you still and get clear images; this also reduces the amount of radiation the breast receives. To produce these mammography images, a low dose of radiation is required, which is less than a standard chest X-ray. With the latest advances in technology, the average total radiation dose for a digital mammogram with 2 views of each breast is about 0.36 millsieverts, or mSv (a mSv is a measure of radiation dose). We are normally exposed to 3mSv of radiation each year just from our normal, natural surroundings. Occasionally, the mammographer may reposition you for an additional image, but this is no cause for anxiety. It’s usually just to get a clearer picture: maybe there was a fold of skin in the way, or not enough of your pectoral muscle in the image.
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ENHANCED BREAST SCREENING
WOMEN’S HEALTH
03. After your appointment
After your screenings, all of the digital mammograms will be reviewed by a consultant breast radiologist, who will compare the new images against any previous ones obtained.
Approximately 1 in 10 women will require further tests after screening. Welbeck offers rapid access to expert advice and further tests where clinically appropriate, including further mammograms, an ultrasound scan, and a needle biopsy. If you would like to know more about these further tests prior to screening, please ask your clinician or mammographer. Recalls can occur for women who are having their first mammogram, as we will have no previous imaging to compare with – something that looks unusual on your first set of mammograms may be completely normal for you.
04. Your results
You will receive your results straight after your screening mammogram.
The results of your screening mammogram are usually sent to your referring clinician within 24 hours. However, if a second opinion is required, or we have not been able to retrieve previous imaging prior to your Welbeck appointment, the results may be delayed by 48 to 72 hours. Most women's mammograms will show no sign of cancer. However, cancer can still develop between mammograms, so it’s important to be breast aware and inform your GP straight away if you notice any breast changes. Your first mammogram is a baseline, or a 'control', so returning to us for subsequent screening gives us the ability to compare images and find subtle changes that can occur over time.
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ENHANCED BREAST SCREENING
WOMEN’S HEALTH
05. Breast density
Mammography is still the only tool proven to reduce breast cancer deaths with early treatment.
Dense breast tissue is best seen on a mammogram. This dense tissue cannot be felt as accurately in a clinical breast exam or in a breast self-exam.
Having dense breasts isn’t something you can control and is thought to be inherited in part. Breast density can decrease as you go through menopause.
Levels of density are identified and graded using a reporting system called Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System (BI-RADS). The grading is recorded in your mammogram report using alphabetical letters, which is used in Enhanced Breast Screening.
The levels of density are:
A Almost entirely fatty B Scattered areas of fibro glandular density C Heterogeneously dense D Extremely dense
A
B
C
D
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ENHANCED BREAST SCREENING
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Having a high breast density increases your breast cancer risk when compared to those who do not have dense breasts. Having dense breasts also increases the risk that some cancers might be missed, which is a secondary problem for women with dense breasts.
Fatty vs dense breast
While fatty tissue appears dark on a mammogram, dense tissue appears white. This makes it difficult to see through and harder to identify some breast cancers, which also appear white on mammograms.
3D mammography allows the radiologist to see lesions hidden within the tissue and better characterise their appearance to diagnose abnormalities. The radiologist will also offer breast ultrasound if you have dense breasts so that they can have a more comprehensive view of your breast tissue.
Mammogram of a ‘not dense’ breast
Mammogram of a ‘dense’ breast
The latest technology
Here at Welbeck’s Enhanced Breast Screening, we have the latest technology, which uses 3D (tomosynthesis) mammography, which is a superior mode of screening for women with dense breasts compared to traditional 2D imaging.
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ENHANCED BREAST SCREENING
WOMEN’S HEALTH
Getting here
Public transport and traffic in our area can be busy, especially in the morning and late afternoon rush hours, so give yourself plenty of time to travel to us. Details of when and where to arrive can be found in your booking letter. Our booking team are on hand to answer any questions, and you’ll find their contact details in the FAQ section of this booklet.
If you’re travelling by public transport, the nearest underground stations are Bond Street and Oxford Circus. There are also bus stops nearby.
If you’re travelling by car, our postcode is W1G 0AR. The nearest car parks are the Q- Park on Oxford Street and the Cavendish Square car park, both less than a 5-minute walk away, and the APCOA car park on Oxford Street (West), which is a 10-minute walk away.
Contact details
Enhanced Breast Screening Welbeck Women’s Health 1 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0AR United Kingdom
+44(0)2036532008
bookings.womenshealth@onewelbeck.com
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CONTACT DETAILS
Welbeck Women’s Health 1 Welbeck Street, London W1G 0AR United Kingdom
Telephone: +44(0)2036532008 Email: bookings.womenshealth@onewelbeck.com
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