I've been invited for a Mammogram

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I think it's a new trial. I'm 47 with no history so I don't fall into the usual catchment but the letter explained they are inviting some 47-50yo for screening.

Not looking forward to it all at, but now my boobs are saggy I reckon it'll be easier than 15 years ago. (Some bonus I suppose)

So what happens in a Mammogram?
Tell me all.
And I do know I'm fortunate to be given this opportunity , just a bit daunting.

Piece of cake if you haven't got sensitive boobs. You have to undress to the waist and flop your boob out onto a special plate - then it gets squeezed flat before they do the scan. Only takes a few mins and weird rather than unpleasant. I'd definitely choose mammogram over smear any day!

The mammography machine is quite big, you stand in front of it and put one boob at a time on a shelf-like plate and then another plate comes down and kind of compresses your boob. It actually doesn't hurt - its more a feeling of pressure. And it's cold!

So it is uncomfortable but bearable!

Good luck

Oh and the machine adjusts to your height so you just stand upright and it moves to the correct position you don't need to start crouching down to get your boob on the plate like I did

They take 2 views of each breast. One top to bottom and another side to side. It may be uncomfortable but it's all over and done within a minute or so for each view.

I am 55 so have had three mammograms. They are a piece of cake. The hospital is very efficient and you are in and out of the place within about 10 minutes.

Yes to all of the above - it's like getting your tits caught in the mangle! I have very small ones and can't say it's pleasant but over in a minute or 2. I had a cyst last year - Panicsville Arizona but my GP and local hospital were fabulous - Appt with Consultant, needle aspiration, Mammogram and Ultrasound scan all in a 2 hour slot 2 days after seeing GP. You'll be fine :)

I'm in my late 50s and I've had about 4 mammograms. As others have said, it is more uncomfortable than painful and it is over really quickly. The only time it actually hurt was when I had cysts and my boobs were a bit swollen anyway. But I got good news about what were then just undiagnosed lumps, so all good.

I had one recently. Like you I was called randomly at 48.
Bit uncomfy but did a few deep breaths and it was over.
All over in 5 mins. Results in 2-3 weeks.

I've had 4 as I'm late 50s. I found they vary in 'uncomfortableness'.
The last one a few months back was most ouchy- and I don't know if that was because the radiographer was especially over-zealous or not. It was the same private hospital.

The bit I find painful is when they have to really squeeze your breasts flat and the edge of the plate goes right into your armpit- it's supposed to.

I have small boobs so there is not much to squeeze. I'm not sure how the radiographers decide how flat to squash you and I think this might be the 'human' element which means there is a variation.

I had it done at 48 - flat boobs, thought it would be ok.

It was like a burning pain, that got worse, each time it was repeated. And it was repeated. The technician was no use, the plate was too high and I had to take may glasses off and so was blind. I felt bruised for the next week.

I will go again next time, in the hope that this was a one-off experience. I have never had any problem with smears (except when they can't find my cervix, which is a larfff!) and don't mind them, but probably have more need of the mamogram.