Is it safe to get mammogram after getting COVID shot? Dr. Mallika Marshall answers your questions

BOSTON - Dr. Mallika Marshall is answering your medical questions. If you have a question, email her or message her on Facebook or Twitter.      

"GN" writes, "In the past, it was said one shouldn't receive a COVID shot around the time of receiving a mammogram.  Is this still true?"

COVID vaccines and boosters can cause swelling of the lymph nodes in the armpit on the side where the shot was administered.  This is a normal immune response to the vaccine.

Initially, it was advised that women wait 4 to 6 weeks before getting a mammogram so radiologists would not confuse this benign lymph node swelling with cancer. 

But doctors now say women should go ahead and get their boosters and their mammograms regardless of timing because both are important and shouldn't be postponed. Just let the technician know if you had a recent vaccine (not only a COVID vaccine/booster) and in which arm. 

You may need a few additional pictures or a brief follow-up, but you should not delay getting your mammograms.

Dr. Mallika is offering her best advice, but as always, consult your personal doctor before making any decisions about your personal health. 

In:
• COVID-19 Vaccine
• Health Care

Mallika Marshall, MD

Mallika Marshall, MD is an Emmy-award-winning journalist and physician who has served as the HealthWatch Reporter for CBS Boston/WBZ-TV for over 20 years. A practicing physician Board Certified in both Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Dr. Marshall serves on staff at Harvard Medical School and practices at Massachusetts General Hospital at the MGH Chelsea Urgent Care and the MGH Revere Health Center, where she is currently working on the frontlines caring for patients with COVID-19. She is also a host and contributing editor for Harvard Health Publications (HHP), the publishing division of Harvard Medical School.

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