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Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
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How you prepare
By Mayo Clinic staffTo prepare for a breast MRI, your doctor may recommend that you:
- Schedule your MRI for the beginning of your menstrual cycle. If you're premenopausal, the MRI facility may prefer to schedule your MRI at a certain point during your menstrual cycle, around days seven to 14. Let the facility know where you are in your cycle so that optimal timing for the breast MRI can be arranged.
- Tell your doctor about any allergies you have. Most MRI procedures use a dye to make the images easier to interpret. The dye is usually given through a vein in your arm. Tell your doctor about any allergies to avoid complications with the dye.
- Tell your doctor if you have kidney problems. A dye commonly used to enhance MRI images called gadolinium can cause serious complications in people with kidney problems. Tell your doctor if you have a history of kidney problems.
- Tell your doctor if you're pregnant. MRI generally isn't recommended for women who are pregnant.
- Don't wear anything metallic during the MRI. Metallic objects, such as necklaces, hairpins and watches, can be damaged during an MRI. Leave metallic objects at home or remove them before your MRI.
- Tell your doctor about implanted medical devices. If you have an implanted medical device, such as a pacemaker, defibrillator, implanted drug port or artificial joint, tell your doctor before your MRI.
References
- MRI of the breast. Radiology Info. http://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=breastmr. Accessed May 5, 2009.
- El Khouli RH, et al. Magnetic resonance imaging of the breast. Seminars in Roentgenology. 2008;43:265.
- Pruthi S (expert opinion). Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. June 13, 2009.
