Is it normal for a mammogram to be painful?

[LadyNellCardross]

I went for my first one today. I'd read the leaflet before hand which described it as sometimes uncomfortable so was prepared for that. The nurse was lovely and reassuring and said the same. It was not uncomfortable, it was bloody agony. I came out shaking afterwards. Is this normal? Obviously I'm glad it's done but not sure I could do it again.

I don’t find them painful, but having said that, I do find smear tests painful and I know many women don’t. I think it massively varies and I can 100% believe that it could be painful for someone else while just being uncomfortable for me. I’m sorry that was the case for you.

I have heard from others they are painful, especially if you're well endowed in that area

Actually I'm the opposite and quite flat chested. It's strange that the experience is so different for individual women.

I’ve always heard it is worse if you have small boobs , I am large of nork and find it mainly uncomfortable and it definitely feels like you are being squashed in the machine

My first two or three were agony but each time they were because I had gone to the breast clinic with a cyst needing to be checked out, usually infected. They were excruciating. I'm pleased to say that the only routine one I have had was uncomfortable but not agony.

My first one at age 50 was very painful! (I was still in peri menopause then, my last period was at 52). Subsequent mammograms have been uncomfortable, nowhere near as bad as the first one. I wonder if changing hormones have anything to do with it?

I’ve massive boobs and I’ve never found it painful.

They can be but what I’ve found a lot of it is to do with how experienced the staff are and how they place you. I’ve experienced painful ones and non painful ones

I have a very small chest and find them painful too

It’s been the opposite amongst me and my friends. Large of nork means uncomfortable but perfectly bearable. Little norks, much worse.

I'm rather well endowed and certainly find them uncomfortable, perhaps verging on slightly painful.

I guess we all have different pain thresholds. I hope your results come back fine.

Yes very especially if they ain’t totally accurate with the placing and imagine if they expected men to do that to their balls

Yes. Rotten experience but soon over and ultimately worth it.

(But am guessing equipment was not designed by a woman....)

I find them very painful and I’m not particularly well endowed. 32D

I'm small of chest, and find them bordering on painful. The first was the very worst though. Do go back on schedule, hopefully it won't be quite as bad next time.

That's encouraging. I have no idea how experienced the nurse was so no way of knowing if the next one would be better.

I’m a B cup and I do find being squashed between the panels quite uncomfortable. Especially if my boobs are sensitive on that day as they sometimes are depending on the time in my cycle.

It’s not a pleasant procedure, but IMO, catching an abnormality early would completely outweigh the temporary discomfort. I was called for additional tests when something showed up on the mammogram a couple of years ago. Thankfully they were just calcium deposits but

I’m never missing a mammogram. Early detection and treatment could literally save my life.

Mine are big, but often tender. I’ve had mammograms that didn’t hurt, and others that feel like I was being suspended from a 4th floor window by my boob. Agony!

Yes. Varies from painful to torture.

I don't know if I'd call it painful, but definitely much more uncomfortable than I expected.

I find them very painful, more than just uncomfortable.

I'm rather well endowed and find them mildly uncomfortable but certainly not painful or distressing. I imagine they'd be more painful for smaller boobs - less to manoevre and grab hold of basically.

DD here and have found them exceedingly painful.

Very painful. TG it’s only every 3 years.

I thought it was painful and was sweating buckets through it - at one point I nearly fainted BUT so worth it if it catches anything early.