CORNING, NY )WETM) – Medical professionals are now advising women who have recently received their COVID vaccine to wait two months to get a mammogram.

Lymph nodes can become enlarged for a few weeks after a patient gets their vaccine. This can give the appearance of cancer even when there isn’t any. To avoid false positives, medical professionals at Arnot Ogden Medical Center are scheduling patients’ mammograms further in the future.

“We are recommending that we schedule their routine mammogram two months after they have had the vaccine.” Dr. Edwin Acosta, MD, chief mammographer, Arnot medical center said. “That usually gives a pretty good amount of time for any of those reacting lymph nodes to return to the more normal appearance, but we won’t delay a patient if she has symptoms.

Acosta said that if a person is feeling any of the signs of breast cancer, including but not limited to, pain, lumps, or discharge, to still seek medical attention and not wait the two months to schedule a mammogram.

The COVID vaccines are not the only vaccines that can cause this reaction. Acosta said that other vaccines or infections can cause swollen lymph nodes as well.