Aibu to say don’t be scared of a mammogram?

[alpenguin]

I was dreading it, I’d heard all these horror stories and it was absolutely nothing.
the pressure on the breast was way less than me leaning on it cos my boobs sag on the bed.

The radiographer said so many women don’t turn up for their mammograms because they’ve heard the horror stories. I get sore breasts due to hormones and honestly the mammogram wasn’t a patch on that monthly ouch. The worst bit was my lummoxy body trying to get into position but Evan that wasn’t as bad as a beginners yoga class.

Please don’t be scared of a mammogram - it’s honestly nothing.

I haven’t set a specific age, it would depend on my health at the time as I have other chronic health conditions
I don’t check my breasts as they’re so dense it’s impossible so I would be unlikely to notice anything anyway

Yes same. I find smear tests horrific and they make me want to vomit. I wouldn't miss one, but it's an ordeal and I leave feeling faint.

Good luck for your appointment. Fingers crossed for good news. 🤞🤞🤞

I've got one tomorrow. I'm quite nervous about it

Sorry that was message was for @Nickyknackered 🩷

First one was so painful, almost passed out. Second one was a breeze by comparison.
Similar with smears. I have had really painful ones which almost put me off forever, but then I've had others which have only been marginally uncomfortable.
Let's not pretend any of these procedures are "the highlight of your day", but we are lucky to live in a country where they are offered free of charge as a preventative measure.

I think we need to be realistic, it may be sore for some and not for others.
I mentioned on another thread I went for my first, not worried in the slightest, thought it would be uncomfortable but it was far worse than I expected. I actually came out of the breast screening van in shock.
i would say my pain threshold is high, had 3x coils put in and taken out and had my 2nd child without any pain relief so I don’t think I was being dramatic.
All that said I will still go back for my next one when I’m called but will be more prepared for the pain

I was too but honestly it was fine. I’d rather a mammogram than a smear. Good luck.

Even if it is uncomfortable, it's worth having one

I think it’s better people are prepared for bad mammograms or smears but told it’s a necessary evil. I know people who came out of mammograms in pain and really upset. I have ‘easy’ smears but when people ask I say ‘I’m not totally one to ask as I’ve found mine fine’ and I really amn’t, same as childbirth, people say they were traumatised- I had tears, episiotomy etc but I wasn’t traumatised in the way some people say they are. Everyone is so different and I think preparing people for something to be easy mightn’t help

There was zero cancer in my family, so when I found a small breast lump I assumed it was a bruise from a damaged underwired bra. Also I didn't seem to have any risk factors - I'd spent 2 years breastfeeding, didn't smoke, not overweight, ran half marathons. I waited a couple of months before getting the lump checked out, by which time the cancer had spread to my lymph nodes and I was very lucky to survive after tough treatment for 18 months.
I was shocked to find out that overall only about 10% of breast cancer cases are genetic. If you're not having mammograms, at least be very careful to check your breasts yourself.

For the lurkers, there was zero cancer in my family too, until I was diagnosed with breast cancer by my mammogram. (Non smoker, slim, exercise regularly, don’t eat meat and didn’t drink much).

Make your choices but don’t assume that because it’s not in your family you’re in the clear.

I'm the opposite and prone to cysts. I'd be there every couple of months if I went every time I found a new one! There's no guidance for what to do in this case and no curiosity about why or whether it can be prevented.
I just watch them come and go across several cycles.

I agree. I have had two mammograms and a breast biopsy and neither were painful. Same with my smear test.

I've had a lot, yes it's at best uncomfortable at worst painful. I also have very small breasts and I've had breast cancer. A very aggressive form but found early. And much, much more painful than a mammogram. I know a lot of women who have had breast cancer, those with larger breasts in particular can have significant tumours before they feel a lump themselves.

I now volunteer for the regional cancer alliance and was shocked when I heard the statistics of people who don't take up simple, free screening like mammograms

Always on these threads there is someone who scaremongers and actively discourages women from having a mammogram.

http://digitaleditions.telegraph.co.uk/data/2200/reader/reader.html?social#!preferred/0/package/2200/pub/2200/page/38/article/NaN

If you don't want to click
WOMEN who miss their first mammogram have a 40 per cent higher risk of dying from breast cancer, research has found.

The NHS offers screening every three years from the age of 50 to 71, meaning all women should get their first invitation by the age of 53.

But latest data show about one in three does not take up the offer. Mammograms can detect breast cancer early, often before a lump can be felt, which improves the chances of successful treatment and survival.

The study, published in the British Medical Journal shows that attending the first screening is particularly important.

Researchers, including those from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, analysed data for nearly 500,000 women across Sweden.

They had all received their first screening invitation between 1991 and 2020 and were monitored for up to 25 years.

After taking account of a range of social, economic, reproductive, and health-related factors, researchers found 32 per cent of women did not attend their first mammogram appointment. These women were also less likely to attend subsequent screenings and were more likely to be diagnosed with advanced stage breast cancer than those who were screened.

Not attending a first screening was linked with a significantly higher risk of breast cancer death (9.9 deaths per 1,000 women over 25 years compared with seven per 1,000 in those screened).

Anyone afraid of getting one done should request an ultrasound. As far as im concerned they cause more cancer. Really unnecessary. They're other ways to check.

@isitmyturn

https://kresserinstitute.com/the-downside-of-mammograms/

If you don't want to click on the link...

Mammography screening for breast cancer was first introduced in the late 1970s, and by the early 1980s, it had been widely incorporated into clinical practice. Prior to the widespread use of mammography, breast cancer detection tests were primarily based on breast self-exams and clinical breast exams performed by physicians. In the very early days of mammography, this test was used only in women at high risk for breast cancer; this included women who had a previous history of breast cancer, had a mother or sisters with breast cancer, or were over 50 years of age.

Fast-forward to the present day, and it is quite apparent that the use of mammography has increased dramatically. According to recent data, 66.8 percent of women over the age of 40 have had a mammogram within the past two years, an average of 15 million physician office visits have taken place per year in which a mammogram was either ordered or performed, and an additional 3 million outpatient visits have ordered or performed mammograms.

Despite this massive increase in the use of mammography, there is a substantial body of research indicating that the widespread, overenthusiastic practice of mammography over the past few decades has had little to no effect on breast cancer mortality rates .

In fact, the research indicates that mammography screening may do more harm than good. Mammography has demonstrated a number of adverse effects, including breast cancer overdiagnosis, unnecessary breast cancer treatment, undue psychological stress, excessive radiation exposure, and a serious risk of tumor rupture and spread of cancerous cells

I would like the machine to drop down as being less than 5feet, it is really hard to get the boob under. I have to go on top toe and it is really awkward and uncomfortable.

I agree with this. They have been known to do more harm than good. I am pleased for the women who have had them, and they have picked up something, and it's lead to successful breast cancer treatment, but this is not the case for every woman. As it states in the link I posted, there are some down sides to mammograms too.

Some posters on here don't seem to want to hear this, and seem to think anyone stating that mammograms are not for them are 'wrong.' I'm starting to get pissed off now.... So I shall bow out of the thread now.

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not helpful I had one ounce never again it was horrendous left the place in tears I'll take my chances
smear fine no bother

I've had one, was preparing for something extreme as my mum goes on about how much it hurts.

I must have marshmallows for boobs because I felt nothing. The tech kept checking in and seemed really surprised, especially as I'm 38. But I guess I'd accumulated 3.5 years of breastfeeding by that point, I did have to drape them in the machine....

I had to have one because I found a lump. It turned out that I had inflamed the chest wall from all the heavy lifting I do at my volunteer job. It hurt a little because it was already tender and swollen but it was okay. I promised my mum who left me when I was in my 20s that I would always get tested if I had any shadow of a doubt.

However bad you find a mammogram I can promise you breast cancer is worse.

You sure they don't? How do they do very short or tall women otherwise?

I had mine last month after rescheduling many times after reading the scaremongering on here. Couldn’t believe I’d been so stupid afterwards. Yes they were squashed but it certainly wasn’t excruciating. I told the woman doing it and said it was irresponsible to scare women and potentially put their lives at risk. She also laughed and said some women claim to have a low pain threshold but really they just enjoy having something to complain about!