Mammogram in Spanish

What it means

A mammogram is an x-ray picture of the breast. Providers use mammograms to look for early signs of breast cancer that can't be felt during a breast exam. There are two types: screening mammograms and diagnostic mammograms. A screening mammogram is usually done for women who have no signs or symptoms of breast cancer, and a diagnostic mammogram is done for people who have a lump or other signs or symptoms of breast cancer. The person stands in front of an x-ray machine, and the breast is placed between two plastic plates that press it and make it flat. An abnormal mammogram does not always mean that there is cancer. The National Cancer Institute dictionary says a mammogram is also used for surveillance after a breast cancer diagnosis.

Spanish term: Mamografía
Gender and article: feminine: la mamografía
Pronunciation: mah-moh-grah-FEE-ah

Other Spanish terms	Where it is used	Note
mastografía	General	MedlinePlus en español lists it under 'Otros nombres', and the NCI Spanish dictionary entry for mamografía says 'También se llama mastografía'.
mamograma	General	The other name MedlinePlus en español lists under 'Otros nombres' on its mammography page.

Mamografía is the term MedlinePlus en español uses for the picture itself: una mamografía es una imagen de rayos X del seno. The Spanish dictionary marks the word as feminine and medical and defines it as a radiografía de mama. The National Cancer Institute's Spanish dictionary defines mamografía as the imaging method and adds también se llama mastografía. MedlinePlus en español lists mamograma and mastografía under Otros nombres.

The two types are mamografía de detección (screening mammogram) and mamografía de diagnóstico (diagnostic mammogram). These pages have two Spanish words for the breast: MedlinePlus en español writes both seno and mama, as in cáncer de mama and cáncer de seno, and the NCI dictionary writes la mama (seno). Other words for the appointment are máquina de rayos X (x-ray machine), placas de plástico (plastic plates), radiólogo (radiologist), bulto (lump), implantes mamarios (breast implants) and resultados (results). An abnormal result is una mamografía anormal.

Phrases for an appointment

What a patient or a clinician might say, in English and Spanish:

Who	English	Spanish
Patient	I am here for my screening mammogram.	Vengo a hacerme la mamografía de detección.
Clinician	Have you noticed a lump or any change in your breasts?	¿Ha notado un bulto o algún cambio en los senos?
Patient	No. Is this going to hurt?	No. ¿Me va a doler?
Clinician	The plates press the breast flat. It may be uncomfortable, but it helps get a clear picture.	Las placas presionan el seno y lo aplanan. Puede resultar incómodo, pero ayuda a obtener una imagen clara.
Clinician	Please stand in front of the machine.	Por favor, párese frente a la máquina.
Patient	When will I get the results?	¿Cuándo voy a recibir los resultados?
Clinician	After the mammogram is read, you will usually get the results within a few weeks.	Después de que se analice la mamografía, en general usted recibirá los resultados en unas pocas semanas.
Patient	If the mammogram is not normal, does that mean I have cancer?	Si la mamografía no es normal, ¿eso significa que tengo cáncer?

In 9 languages

Language	Term
English	Mammogram
Spanish (Español)	Mamografía
Chinese (中文)	乳房攝影
Korean (한국어)	유방 촬영술 (유방 X선)
Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)	Chụp nhũ ảnh (chụp X-quang vú)
Filipino (Tagalog)	Mammogram
Portuguese (Português)	Mamografia
Thai (ภาษาไทย)	การตรวจแมมโมแกรม
Japanese (日本語)	マンモグラフィ

Where you'll see it

radiology reportchartEOBbillreferral

Related terms

Your right to an interpreter in the United States

If English is not your primary language and you have difficulty communicating in English, you may need an interpreter or a translated document when you visit a doctor or dentist, go to the emergency room or pick up a prescription. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights states that two federal laws, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Section 1557 of the Affordable Care Act, require programs that receive its funding to provide language access services free of charge.

You can ask when you make the appointment or at the front desk: "I need an interpreter, please." «Necesito un intérprete, por favor.»

More terms: Reproductive health and pregnancy

All terms in this area: Reproductive health and pregnancy — Salud reproductiva y embarazo

Sources

This page is a language reference. It is not medical advice.