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Testing safe for pregnancy?

Page last modified on: October 8, 2008
Question from Mtm1975: I'm 7.5 months pregnant and I found a lump in my right breast. Are the tests that my doctor is setting up really OK for my baby?
Answers —Lynn Schuchter, M.D.: We don't know what tests have been ordered, but we would generally start with ultrasound because that can be very informative about what can be happening with the breast. Ultrasound is definitely safe for the baby. Generally we avoid X-ray imaging but in the later parts of the pregnancy, some of these tests can be safe. Generally an ultrasound would be done, and that is entirely safe.
Jennifer Armstrong, M.D.: It can be difficult to believe that so many tests can be safe while pregnant. Nevertheless, as Dr. Schuchter described, many of these tests not only can be performed safely during pregnancy, but in the few instances where breast cancer is diagnosed, that breast cancer can even be treated safely (for mom and baby) during pregnancy, Again, it's helpful to have a support network to help maneuver through these situations.

On Wednesday, April 19, 2006, our Ask-the-Expert Online Conference was called Young Women and Breast Cancer. Lynn Schuchter, M.D. and moderator Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. answered your questions about the special concerns of young women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer.

The materials presented in these conferences do not necessarily reflect the views of breastcancer.org. A qualified healthcare professional should be consulted before using any therapeutic product or regimen discussed. All readers should verify all information and data before employing any therapies described here.

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Meet the Experts

Schuchter, LynnLynn Schuchter, M.D. is a medical oncologist specializing in breast cancer and melanoma at the University of Pennsylvania Cancer Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

Jennifer Armstrong, M.D.Jennifer Armstrong, M.D. is a breast cancer oncologist at Paoli Hematology-Oncology Associates in Paoli, Pa., with a special interest in physicians' communication skills.

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