Is a mammogram painful? What it feels like and how to make it easier

For most people a mammogram is uncomfortable rather than agonising. Cancer Research UK says you will feel a little pressure and it is likely to be uncomfortable, and that some women find it painful, but it is over quickly. The NHS puts it similarly: often uncomfortable, sometimes painful for some people, and any discomfort should not last long.

How it feels varies from person to person. Someone who found a past mammogram unpleasant may find the next one the same, but it is worth saying so, because staff can adapt.

The NHS describes the appointment as follows. A mammographer checks your details and asks whether you have had any breast problems, then you undress above the waist in private. The mammographer places one breast on the X-ray machine and needs to touch the breast to position it. The breast is squeezed between 2 pieces of plastic for a few seconds while you stay still, then the machine is moved and a second X-ray is taken. The other breast is X-rayed the same way.

Cancer Research UK says you usually have 2 X-rays from each breast, one from the top and one from the side. The pressure is what holds the tissue still and spreads it out so the picture is clear, which is why it is firm. The actual X-ray exposure is very brief.

The NHS lists practical points that may help, and each is simple to act on.

• Wear a top that is easy to remove rather than a dress or jumpsuit.

• Tell the staff if you have found screening uncomfortable in the past.

• Tell them if you are nervous or embarrassed. The NHS says they are trained to help you feel more comfortable and provide support.

• Tell them if you have difficulty walking or standing, so they can help make you comfortable.

• Ask them to avoid words that make you uncomfortable or nervous, and tell them your pronouns if you wish.

• Remove necklaces and nipple piercings, and a binder if you wear one.

• Do not use deodorant, antiperspirant or talcum powder on the day, as it may affect the mammogram.

The NHS and Cancer Research UK do not give a list of causes of extra discomfort, so it is best not to guess. What the sources do say is practical: talk to the mammographer if you are finding it too painful, because the mammographer can stop at any time and try to make you more comfortable.

Telling staff before the machine is used lets them describe each step, position you differently if needed, and pause. If you have breast implants, Cancer Research UK says to tell the mammographer, who may need to take extra X-rays and is very experienced in doing mammograms for women with implants.

Pain that persists after you get home is not what the sources describe as usual. Tenderness for up to a few hours is expected, so if you have pain that lasts longer, a lump or any change in the breast, speak to your GP.

The NHS says breast screening uses X-rays called mammograms to look for cancers that are too small to see or feel. Cancer Research UK says the screening programme invites women aged between 50 and 70 for screening every 3 years, and that you need to be registered with a GP to receive invitations.

Cancer Research UK also notes that mammograms involve a very small amount of radiation and that screening does not always find a cancer that is there, so it remains important to see your GP if you notice breast changes between screenings.

You can get dressed straight away. The NHS says you will usually get your results within 2 weeks. Cancer Research UK says sometimes the mammogram is not clear enough and needs repeating, and that if something abnormal shows you have more tests such as an ultrasound or biopsy, often at a one-stop breast clinic. Being asked to return does not by itself mean cancer has been found.