Pregnancy is accompanied by a lengthy list of do's and don'ts—take prenatal vitamins, no alcohol, exercise carefully, and eat well. But what about when an unplanned health issue presents itself, such as the necessity for a mammogram? For most women, this might not even be something they think about until they are in a position where breast cancer screening is an option.

Perhaps you're over 40 and in need of your yearly mammogram, or perhaps you have a history of breast cancer in your family and you want to keep your screenings current. More emergently, you've found a lump in your breast. So, can you have a mammogram when pregnant? The answer is yes, but there are several things to consider.

Pregnancy creates substantial hormonal changes that affect the body, as well as breast tissue. Estrogen and progesterone's rise causes the breasts to expand and condition to produce milk, which results in denser tissue. This increased density is more challenging to detect any abnormalities with using mammograms. Even post-delivery, should the woman be breastfeeding, milk-filled glands can also make the breasts denser and, as a result, make mammogram readings less clear.

While 3D mammograms have improved imaging technology to help navigate dense breast tissue, doctors often suggest postponing routine screening mammograms until after pregnancy if there are no symptoms or high-risk factors. However, if a lump or abnormality is found, your doctor may recommend immediate diagnostic imaging.

When Is a Mammogram Necessary During Pregnancy?

Mammograms are not done routinely if a woman becomes pregnant, yet there are specific situations where one might be unavoidable. Breast cancer in pregnancy does occur—1 in 3,000 times—but it's not common. If a lump is detected by a woman, she has constant breast pain and no explanation, or she is at high risk (e.g., strong history of breast cancer in her family or genetic defect such as BRCA1 or BRCA2), a physician will order a mammogram.

The process itself takes very little radiation exposure. The radiation employed by a mammogram is concentrated on the breast, and there is little to no radiation that reaches other areas of the body. A lead apron is also placed over the belly to shield the unborn child.

Alternative Breast Imaging Options During Pregnancy

For pregnant women requiring breast imaging, physicians may initially suggest an ultrasound. In contrast to a mammogram, an ultrasound is not done with the use of radiation and is deemed safe for pregnant women.

An ultrasound of the breast can establish whether a lump is a fluid-filled cyst or a solid tumor that needs further investigation. Yet ultrasounds are not always diagnostic, and in certain instances, a mammogram or biopsy is needed to determine or rule out cancer.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is also an imaging choice but has some drawbacks. The majority of breast MRIs employ a contrast material called gadolinium, which is able to pass through the placenta and to the fetus. Although risks are not entirely clear, physicians usually do not use MRI with contrast unless necessary. Some practitioners may offer an MRI without contrast as an option.

What If You Find a Lump In Your Breast During Pregnancy?

Breast changes throughout pregnancy are normal, but finding a lump should never be taken lightly. If you notice a lump, alert your medical provider right away. They will conduct a clinical breast exam and potentially have you get an imaging study such as an ultrasound or mammogram to see whether anything needs to be done.

If imaging indicates a suspicious mass, a biopsy can be suggested. Core needle biopsy is the most frequently used and is safe during pregnancy. It consists of numbing the skin with local anesthetic and inserting a hollow needle into the area to obtain a small sample of tissue to be tested.

Breast Cancer Treatment During Pregnancy

In the extremely uncommon event of a diagnosis of breast cancer while pregnant, therapy will be determined by the nature and extent of cancer and by how far along in pregnancy one is. The most frequent form of treatment is surgery—either mastectomy (surgical removal of the entire breast) or lumpectomy (surgical removal of the lump)—which is usually safe while pregnant.

Chemotherapy is also possible but usually only attempted after the first trimester, when it can damage developing fetal tissue. Radiation therapy is not used during pregnancy and is typically deferred until after giving birth. Hormonal therapy and targeted therapies are also omitted until after giving birth.

Can I Get a Mammogram While Breastfeeding?

Yes, you can have a mammogram while you are breastfeeding. The radiation in a mammogram does not impact breast milk or hurt the baby. But breast density is still high during lactation, and this might complicate detection of abnormalities. To enhance image quality, physicians usually advise breastfeeding or pumping 30 minutes prior to the mammogram.

Routine screening mammograms are usually delayed in pregnancy unless there is a high-level concern.

If a lump is detected, an ultrasound is typically the initial imaging study done, with a mammogram being a consideration if additional assessment is necessary.

• Pregnancy mammograms utilize minimal radiation and are safe when required.
• Breast MRI with contrast is usually avoided in pregnancy.
• Breast biopsy, when necessary, is safe during pregnancy.

If breast cancer does develop during pregnancy, there are available treatment options that can be adjusted to keep the mother and infant safe.

Pregnancy is a period of significant change, and health issues particularly those involving breast health, are anxiety-provoking. Routine mammograms are typically postponed until after giving birth, but diagnostic testing can be done if necessary. The best you can do is discuss changes you notice in your breasts with your healthcare provider in an open manner. Early detection and prompt treatment can make a very big difference in the health of both mother and fetus.

Someone who is dying may start to their loved ones who passed away years ago. This could be unsettling and confusing for families and relatives who may assume that the person is just hallucinating or undergoing a deeper neurological issue.

But hospice physician Dr Christopher Kerr says such experiences are a known phenomenon called end-of-life dreams and visions (ELDVs). Kerr, chief medical officer of Hospice Buffalo, has spent decades studying these experiences in dying patients extensively.

Appearing on The Oprah Podcast, he told Oprah Winfrey that many patients near death describe seeing deceased relatives or people who cared for them during their lives. The experiences can feel completely real to them.

Why Do People Near Death See Deceased Loved Ones?

Also read: Ebola Bundibugyo Virus: Kenya Confirms First Death In Case Imported From Congo

One of the possibilities is that the brain experiences significant changes as the body starts to shut down.

Alterations in sleep, consciousness, metabolism, oxygen levels, medications, and brain chemistry can all affect perception during the final stages of life.

Dr. Rakesh Lalla, Additional Director - Neurology, Fortis Hospital, Mumbai, told HealthandMe, " These visions could be explained by the alterations that occur within the brain as the body starts to close down. Due to oxygen deprivation and altered brain activity, the brain would process memories, feelings, and stimuli differently. The areas responsible for memory processing and vision could become stimulated or disrupted, which could result in some vivid visions or experiences."

The expert also said that these visions do not mean that the person has a neurological or psychiatric issue.

Dr. Lalla said, "They do not necessarily mean that the person is confused or suffering from a psychiatric condition. In many cases, they are brief, peaceful, and emotionally meaningful to the individual. We still do not fully understand why particular people or memories appear."

The neurologist also advised families to stay supportive and calm during such situations.

He added, "The brain’s complex relationship between memory, emotion and perception is likely to play an important role. For families, the key is to remain calm, listen without dismissing the experience, and provide reassurance and comfort."

Also read: Global Life Expectancy Returns To Pre-Pandemic Levels, But NCDs Resulted In 8 Out 10 Deaths: WHO

Hallucinations Or Part Of The Dying Process?

Experts who have been studying ELDVs have also found that these experiences have some distinctive patterns that do not resemble random hallucinations.

In a 2014 longitudinal study led by Kerr, most of the 59 hospice patients who completed the study reported at least one dream or vision. Almost half occurred during sleep, and nearly all patients said the experiences felt real. The most common involved deceased friends or relatives or other loved ones. In fact, comforting visions of deceased people became more common as patients moved closer to death.

A 2026 systematic review of 13 studies similarly found that ELDVs occurred in at least one in five dying adults.

The National Institute on Aging also states that dying people may appear to see or talk to someone who is not present and may report dreams involving deceased relatives or friends. Such experiences are often comforting, and caregivers are generally advised not to immediately correct or challenge the person.

Seeing Loved Ones Could Be A Comforting End

Kerr said that patients seeing deceased loved ones in their visions appeared calmer afterward. His research suggests that these experiences may carry deep emotional meaning for patients.

“Very little is said between the person in the dream and the dreamer, but everything seems to be understood,” Kerr told Oprah.

Scientists still cannot say exactly what produces these experiences or whether they represent anything beyond changes occurring in the dying brain.

India accounts for one-fifth of global deaths due to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) or complications related to the heart and blood vessels. Moreover, women are more vulnerable to these complications. Recent data show that women (14%) have a higher prevalence of CVD than men (12%), making preventive care very important for all.

When Should A Heart Check-up Be Done?

The human heart works constantly and efficiently and can compensate for metabolic stress and narrowing of blood vessels without showing any obvious symptoms. Hence, a heart health evaluation should ideally take place when the person is feeling completely well, long before any warning signs appear.

While acute symptoms, such as chest pressure or tightness, unexplained breathlessness, fainting, or unusual fatigue on effort, demand immediate attention, true heart protection occurs through early and planned tests. While heart check-ups are routinely recommended starting at age 40, screening should ideally begin earlier, around ages 30 to 35, especially if risk factors are present.

Starting check-ups at age 30 is important because certain congenital and structural heart conditions remain completely silent for years, and early screening ensures timely, targeted treatment when it is most effective.

Regular screening helps detect and rule out underlying issues early, including congenital heart defects (commonly known as holes in the heart) and conditions such as Atrial Septal Defect (ASD), Ventricular Septal Defect (VSD), or Patent Ductus Arteriosus (PDA). Structural and muscle diseases, on the other hand, include valve disorders, heart muscle weakness, or abnormal thickening of the heart walls (e.g., Hypertrophic Obstructive Cardiomyopathy (HOCM)).

Key Risk Factors

In addition to age, patients should seek a heart check-up sooner if they have any of the following risk factors:

• Strong family history of premature heart disease in immediate relatives.
• History of active or past smoking and tobacco use.
• Metabolic conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, or elevated blood cholesterol.

Excess body weight, especially central or abdominal obesity. Excess body weight damages the kidneys, leads to fat deposits in the liver and increases the risk of developing diabetes, and ultimately increases the strain on the heart and blood vessels (cardiovascular system). These interconnected conditions are known as Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome and include heart disease, kidney disease, diabetes, stetotic (fatty) liver disease, and obesity.

Effective weight and metabolic management, through modern options such as oral or injectable GLP1 therapies, can improve long-term heart health.

Tailoring care

A heart check-up can involve several tests, from blood tests to invasive or non-invasive ones (with/without needles, catheters, or probes entering the body). The most common blood tests include fasting and post-prandial or after-meal blood sugar (FBG/PPBG), HbA1c (glycated haemoglobin), lipid and thyroid profile, and kidney function tests. Non-invasive cardiac tests include electrocardiogram (ECG), 2D echocardiogram, and ultrasound. However, not everyone needs all of them.

Diagnostic tests should be customized based on the person’s age, symptoms, and individual risk score. Hence, skip the urge to self-order commercial diagnostic packages online. Instead, take the most important step towards protecting your heart by talking to your doctor. A personalized assessment can help determine which tests, if any, are appropriate for you, so that you can focus on the right steps to keep your heart healthy.

Gut chemicals may play a role in influencing the likelihood of someone developing Alzheimer's disease. A new study has a chemical produced by certain gut bacteria in focus that may affect Alzheimer’s disease risk, cognitive decline, and other changes related to the disease.

Published in Nature Communications, the study focused on imidazole propionate (ImP), a metabolite produced by some gut bacteria when they break down the amino acid histidine.

Researchers found that people with higher levels of ImP in their blood had lower cognitive scores and higher levels of biomarkers that indicate the likelihood of Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration.

How Was The Study Conducted?

Also read: Global Life Expectancy Returns To Pre-Pandemic Levels, But NCDs Resulted In 8 Out 10 Deaths: WHO

The researchers studied health data from 1,196 adults who were cognitively unimpaired, with an average age of about 61 years. Higher blood levels of ImP were associated with poorer cognitive performance and faster age-related decline.

Higher ImP was also linked to increased levels of p-tau217, a key biomarker in Alzheimer’s pathology, and neurofilament light chain, a marker of nerve-cell damage.

The finding builds on earlier work from the University of Wisconsin-Madison team showing differences in gut microbes between people with Alzheimer’s and those without the disease.

“Since then, we've been trying to figure out how this difference in the gut perhaps leads to changes in the brain,” said Barbara Bendlin, professor of medicine at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

But ImP itself may be more relevant than simply having a particular type of gut bacteria.

“ImP-producing bacteria are present in a large fraction of people, but they're not very abundant in most people,” said Federico Rey, professor of bacteriology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. “But something we have learned over the years is that a microbe doesn't have to be abundant to have an impact on the host.”

Also read: Could This Popular Joint Supplement Turn Mild Cognitive Impairment Into Dementia? New Study Finds Link

Could Changing Your Diet Prevent Dementia Risk?

The researchers also found genetic evidence that linked higher ImP levels with an increased risk of Alzheimer’s. In experiments on mice, long-term exposure to ImP increased amyloid-beta plaques and signs of brain inflammation.

Laboratory experiments further suggested that ImP could affect the blood-brain barrier and promote tau hyperphosphorylation, a process involved in nerve damage that occurs in Alzheimer’s.

Researchers also caution against making changes to diet to alter gut bacteria. They say ImP is produced when bacteria metabolise histidine, an amino acid that the body needs and that is found in many protein-rich foods.

“Generally improving your diet would probably help,” Bendlin said. “But it's not as easy as saying, 'Stop eating eggs' or 'Don't eat so much red meat.' Because you need histidine, and it's all over the place.”

Instead, the researchers are looking at whether ImP itself could eventually be targeted.

“It could be just like cholesterol, where people with elevated cholesterol take a drug, a statin, that reduces their risk for heart disease,” Bendlin said. “If we can find an inhibitor that can help decrease the levels of ImP in the blood, that could hopefully reduce the risk of Alzheimer's and the speed of cognitive decline for a significant number of people.”

Researchers also say that the findings do not show that ImP causes Alzheimer’s in humans, nor do they suggest that probiotics or dietary changes can prevent dementia.

But they strengthen growing evidence that suggest chemicals produced by gut microbes may affect brain health years before symptoms surface.