Why is Mammography Sometimes Uncomfortable?
Patients will feel firm pressure but no significant pain. If you feel discomfort, please inform the technologist. The quality of your mammogram is greatly dependent on compression of the breast, which may sometimes cause discomfort (the discomfort is brief). Compression decreases breast motion that can cause blurry images. Thicker breast tissue also causes x-ray scatter and that degrades images. The total x-ray dose to the breast is greatly reduced by good breast compression. Breast compression also flattens the breast so that all of the tissue can be visualized in the image.
