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.

Yes, v unpleasant. I'm sure the staff vary though just like with smears and blood tests.

I'm small and thought the machine was going to pull my tits off.

I find them agonising yes.

I have big breasts and it’s always painful for me.

I've very big boobs and found my mammogram very uncomfortable but not painful my sil said it was excruciating and almost passed out. I'm so sorry that you had a bad experience op :( x

I’ve only had one and it was incredibly painful. I’m fairly stoical but I was shaking coming out. It didn’t help that the nurse was a pure bitch.

I have huge boobs. I've only had one so far, but it felt as though they were being split in half! The radiographer seemed to be in a bad mood which probably hadn't helped.

I have quite big boobs and I find mammograms very uncomfortable. My last but one mammogram was awful as when they did the bit where it scans across the front of your boob it caught my nipple and made it bleed. The poor woman who did it was mortified and said it was the first time that had happened to her. I think I’m due my next one soon. I’m not looking forward to it. My only saving grace is I have now had my last ever smear test which I also hated 🤣

Do you have small boobs - I've heard it can be painful for smaller ladies

@menopausalfart 🤣 Yes!

I’m shocked read that they are painful. I’ve just had my first and was called back for foe another as the image was blurry. Absolutely no pain…wasn’t even uncomfortable. Are there different types of machines?

Mine are huge and no way I’m going. They’re so dense I don’t see how they can image them anyway as they physically don’t squash and I don’t want anyone judging them
I do go for smears but won’t be doing mammograms when I get to that age

I had my second one a few weeks back. It was bloody agony. Didn’t help that when it was my turn I was asked if I was happy for a student radiographer to be present and immediately agreed. Turned out she was doing the clamping, took ages and was damn sore on my DDs.

Thanks for all your responses ladies. Clearly the experience varies enormously from woman to woman. Sadly it seems mine wasn't unusual. Oh well, it's done now at least.

Mine were uncovered but not agony

WTAF. No one is going to be judging your breasts and so what if they do, breast screening is life saving for women whose cancer is caught early. I’ve had two friends die from secondary breast cancer so maybe think again.

I've had a few and only one bad experience where the nurse was quite rough with me. I don't think the machine was quite the right height and she squeezed way too tight and it pinched.
Only hurt in the moment though, I was fine directly after.

@buffyfaithfredwesley Your choice obviously, but a few minutes of discomfort is surely better than being diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, because it wasn’t detected earlier?

My breasts are also dense and I’m given the 3-D ones. They picked up some minute calcifications, which turned out to be benign, but it shows that they’re effective.

No history of cancer in the family
my mum never went for smears or mammograms, it’s optional
all I’ve been told about is pain and comments on boobs and my boobs don’t squash so I won’t be going. Doesn’t affect anyone else if I don’t go

Personal preference
there is no history of any cancer in my family but a huge history of early onset dementia. If I was diagnosed with cancer in my late 50s/60s I wouldn’t have treatment anyway

@buffyfaithfredwesley Fair enough, I was just pointing out that the 3-D mammograms do work well for dense breasts.

I've only had two so far, so not a lot to go on, but my first was a breeze. I was anxious about it, but it was so fine that in the end I kind of laughed myself out of the machine and it had to be reset. I went to the second one in a fabulous mood. It was a different clinic. The lady was harsh, mean, forceful and it was painful. I don't know why these two clinics were so different.

I find them painful. I always think if they invented a machine to check men’s testicles they wouldn’t base it on a mammogram machine.

@buffyfaithfredwesleyeach to their own. Neither of my friends had family history of cancer either.

I always find that when a healthcare professional says ‘uncomfortable’ they mean bloody painful.