Women's Health Community

I'm getting to the age of having to go for a mammogram. I'm going to avoid it like the plague (I know, bad idea).

If there is an alternitive, yes, I would go.

I am 51 years old and ALL the women I know who have had mammograms say the same thing: that their mammogram was VERY painful. As a result, I have never had a mammogram, and don't plan to unless they come up with some way of screening for breast cancer that doesn't hurt.

yes it would. I have cysts in my breasts and the pain is unbearable when they mash them in the mammo. they swelled so bad I could not function normally for 5 days or fit in my bra because of the swelling. I am not going back to have it done again.

Given that it can miss small things, I doubt I'd be interested. I have large breasts and have been getting mammograms because of that (increased risk of breast cancer and difficulty of finding any lumps there may be because of the size) since before I was 30. I've also had breast ultrasounds. I can honestly say that I've never had any pain during a mammogram so I'm not really looking for an alternative.

what doctor will order a ct-scan for a routine mammogram? I like to know cause ct-scans are used as a resort if they think images are missed and need to know.

Oh roloro 1557 you are pass the age where you must have a breast exam /mammogram most women have breast cancer and it goes undetected for many years because most breast cancer are painless and symptom free until it get into a last or final stage I have to get a mammogram every year because of my sickle cell trait I know that most people with sickle cell trait have no symptoms of but I'm very different and my mammogram always show thickness of my fatty tissue which makes it hard to see any changes so they advise me to get one every year. and I am only 41 I got my first mammogram at the age of 36 and I demanded in October which is screening for breast cancer month mammograms supposed to be free well they gave me a hard time because you suppose to be 40 for your first mammogram and I was 36 I sent a letter to the medical board explaning why I think the age should be earlier and if breast cancer awareness is in october than why all women was not able to be screen like my self.then after that after seeing my results I am told to get a yearly breast exam.

I do agree that it is very painful and uncomfortable but I have to get one every year. ouch and I choose to have it done cause most sickle cell trait or people with the full blown blood disease are at high rate for cancer not just breast cancer but liver and pancreas, kidney,and other body organs at risk becasues of the lack of oxygen the organs recieves.

I have been a mammo tech for over 16 yrs. and have been having mammograms about that long. Although no one wants to have this exam done, at least 80% of my patients have not considered it painful. uncomfortable and awkward, yes! The other 20% or so, are usually women with fibrocystic breast tissue, which itself causes pressure from within the breast. Adding any additional pressure with the mammogram can sometimes be excruciating. So, if your breasts are already sore this can be painful, but the compression lasts about 5-6 seconds or less. For most women this is a small price to pay for early breast cancer detection, it can be a matter of life and death! The majority of women coming in for their first mammogram have all heard horror stories about mammograms, and most are pleasantly surprised and wished they had not listened to women who have had bad experiences. I suggest that every woman over 40 should have this exam done at least once in order to decide for themselves if this is an exam they are able to have done. As a daughter who lost her mother to breast cancer, I advise women to use what tools we have available to us in the detection of breast cancer. Some day there has to be a better way of doing this, but so far mammography is the only tool we have to find early breast cancers. If not for yourselves, do it for the people you might leave behind!

I had my first mammogram last week. My doctor recommended it because I turned 40 two weeks ago. I wish I had waited or fought him on scheduling this test. This was one of the worst experiences of my life. The front "squishing" was fine. Not nearly as bad as what I had heard it would be. The side, however, was a different story. I left with a large cut under my breast and a 2 inch bruise on the side of my breast. I just got a letter with from the hospital where I had this completed and they are saying that the radiologist needs more pictures to better read my results. It may have been because I was in so much pain that I may have flinched and something didn't come out clearly. Who knows. I am seriously debating not going for the follow up. I have absolutely no history in my family of cancer and have never had any problems. This was just a "routine" check because I turned 40. I won't recommend this to any of my friends turning 40 but I won't discourage them either. It should be a personal choice. I wish I had made a better decision.

With a purple passion of disgust!! I would rather have a colonoscopy everyday for a year than to have even one more mammogram. I hate them, hate them, HATE THEM!

I want to know what sadistic man came up with this procedure? If a man had to have his testicles checked using this method, they would find a different way REAL quick! We need to stop this physical abuse and come up with at better way.

I tell my friends they need to get one, but I won't hound them about it. THEY SUCK!

I've had 2 mammograms so far and they made it as comfortable as possible and each experience has been fine. No pain at all, either. I also have had a colonoscopy, endoscopy, and a colposcopy, and all were MUCH more uncomfortable than the mammogram.

It's worth it, it's just ten minutes out of your life, it's safe, and it's only once a year. There is no excuse, in my opinion not to get one.

Lisa

Do you know what I hate???? I hated chemotherapy, radiation and a double mastectomy at the age of 39!!! No family history either...As a matter of fact, did you know that 85% of breast cancer is not family history related...thats right.....only 15% of us carry the gene.....It CAN happen to YOU...Trust me...PLEASE get your mammograms if you want to live.......

I have small breast b-cup and i recently found a lump on one of my breast. I went in for a mammogram and literally passeed out from the pain. I have never felt pain like that in my life. The pain shot thru my body and the next thing I know was I was on the floor. I was not able to finish. But I don't think I will be going back anytime soon.

I just had a mammogram yesterday and as always, it was so painful that I broke down in tears when it was over. I know that the technician is just doing her job, but I got the feeling that she didn't believe me when I said that it was too painful for her to squeeze any harder on my breasts. She said in a very defensive tone, "I'm not trying to hurt you!", like I really thought she was!
I have been through the ordeal of breast cancer. I often wish that when the surgeon did the lumpectomy on me, that he would have just gone ahead and done a mastectomy. I HATE going through this painful process each year.
If men had to go through something as painful as this, you can be sure that something would have been invented to make it less painful.
I understand the importance of yearly mammograms, but each time I go through the process, I end up an emotional wreck for several days after it. There just has to be an alternative to this!