Also ask if the facility follows FDA quality assurance programs and if the radiologists who read the mammograms are board-certified.

These X-rays are your property and will help the radiologist compare current films with past ones to spot changes.

Experts agree that women at average risk should begin to have regular mammograms at age 40. The American Cancer Society recommends that women age 40 and older have a screening mammogram every year, while the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends screening mammography, every 1-2 years.

The chemicals in these products could distort the mammogram imaging.

Mammograms miss 20 percent of tumors.

About 80 percent of breast cancers occur in this age group.

Done with a smaller paddle, this specialized X-ray compresses the area more tightly for a better close-up view.

Digital mammography is a method that records x-ray images in computer code instead of on x-ray film. In January 2000, the FDA approved a digital mammography system that may offer potential advantages over the use of standard x-ray film. Research studies so far have not shown that digital images are more effective in finding cancer than x-ray film images. However, the National Cancer Institute is conducing research to learn whether digital mammography is as good as or better than conventional mammography. From the patient's point of view, digital mammography is the same as the screen-film system. The mammograms will be taken the same way. Digital mammography can legally be performed only in facilities that are certified.

The National Cancer Institute reports that the ability of a mammogram to detect a cancer (called sensitivity) ranges from 54% to 58% in women under age 40 to 81% to 94% in those over 65.