For the older ladies. Have you ever had a mamogram? Can you tell me how bad it is?

Question

My dr. says now that I'm 40 I should start thinking about having one. I hear they are really painful. Do they really lay them on a metal slab & smash them almost flat??? Does it hurt more for bigger chested women?

Answer 1

it is not that bad. having a paper cut hurts far worst

Answer 2

Just had mine and they have improved the machine some so it was not as bad as previous. Plus it is better to suffer a little pain to know you don't have cancer than to find out later you do. Mine was no evidence of cancer whew! Mine was done on  a plastic with a foam liner they do squish them and it is uncomfortable for less than a minute. Just get it done and you will feel better once it is done and you find out you are cancer free.

Answer 3

I had a baseline at 35, so I've only had the one.  I'm a D cup and I didn't think it was too bad.  My sister, who is an A, says that it's really painful for her because they try to rip her chest off to get enough tissue in the masher.  She comes home with bruises.  So, I think it's probably worse if you're smaller.

Answer 4

Mammograms should not be painful. They can be uncomfortable for some women, and other women aren't at all bothered by the exam. If you are tender breasted, you might feel more discomfort. Make your appointment for after you have started your menstrual period, when the b*****s are the least tender. Caffeine also makes tender b*****s more tender for many women, so consider limiting your intake (coffee, tea, chocolate) for a few days prior to a mammogram.  I do not recommend avoiding caffeine if you are prone to headaches when you go without.

Size of the b*****s have nothing to do with the level of discomfort. Both small and large b*****s can be tender. We don't compress the b*****s to a magical number. A large breast might be compressed until the breast measures 6 cm thick. A small breast could be compressed until it measures 3 cm. So, in this case, size does not matter!

Now, lets assume that mammographic exams are VERY painful, for arguments sake. A routine, screening mammogram consists of 4 images....2 views on each breast. The total time of compression for those 4 images is about 45 seconds. I can do anything for 45 seconds, especially if those 45 seconds can greatly impact my future and my quality of life. Sounds like a small price to pay, doesn't it?

I get very upset with women who spread the misconception that mammograms are so extremely painful.  They are scaring other women badly enough that some women are not having mammograms.  I had a patient a few years ago, who came in for her first mammogram because she had a huge lump in her breast.  You could tell, without the mammograms, that she had an advanced breast cancer.  Her skin was red and nipple was inverted....her breast looked angry.  She had known about this lump for over two years, but never went for a mammogram, because her "friends" had told her how painful they were.  A day later, we did a CT scan of her head, chest, abdomen and pelvis, and her breast cancer had spread to her liver and brain.   She was dead within a couple of weeks.  I guarantee that pain was nothing what is experienced with a mammogram.  With friends like that, who needs enemies, right?

Answer 5

It's not comfortable, but the most painful part is the mental trauma. You just won't believe how flat they're gonna get those things.

Mine would have been a much better experience if I'd gone in blindfolded. So trust me, put your arms and your b***s where the nurse tells you to put them, then shut your eyes and DO NOT look. If you look, your instinct is going to be to pull back, and if you move, they'll have to do it again.

Answer 6

Here is the authentic info. on how the Mammogram is done.

"How is a mammogram done?



Mammograms are quick and easy. You simply stand in front of an x-ray machine. The person who takes the x-rays places your breast between two plastic plates. The plates press your breast and make it flat. This may be uncomfortable for a few seconds, but it helps get a clear picture. You will have x-rays taken of each breast. A mammogram takes only a few seconds.'

why worry. no woman is afraid of undergoing a mammogram!

Additional Source:

<http://seniorhealth.about.com/library/wo...

Answer 7

Yes, that is exactly how it is done!  

Don't know if it hurts more for bigger chested women...how could anyone really know that unless they had one large breast and one small?  :)

Answer 8

Yes, I have had several mammograms.

They have to flatten them between two glass plates first one way then the other in order to be done properly.

It's uncomfortable, yes, but it does not take long.

It's more uncomfortable for bigger chested women.

Answer 9

While there is some discomfort, I try to think of how uncomfortable it might be if I were to go without having it done..

Rose P.

Answer 10

it's not the most pleasant thing in the world but it's by far not the worst. try to go at the time of the month when your b***s are the least tender,  cause they do smash em. it's fast though so just go and get it over with. i've only had one, like 8 years ago,  and i'm 52, so i should really listen to my own advise and go get one myself. i think it's the same for big, average or small busted women. small things hurt the same as big, that's how i figure!

Answer 11

my mother's friend said it hurt and she has pretty big b*****s. I have small ones so I don't even no how that process would even work for me..

good luck.