Mammogram Pain Overrated

Researchers hope results help dispel myths, encourage more women to get them

TUESDAY, April 15, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Women often avoid getting mammograms because they're afraid of the pain, but the fear is unfounded.

That's the claim of a new study based on interviews with 200 women over the age of 40 immediately after they had mammograms. About 72 percent of them had pain, but most characterized it as mild.

Researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine, whose findings appear in the April 14 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, say they hope the research helps dispel myths about pain associated with mammograms and, in turn, encourages more women to get them.

"Pain is listed as one of the main barriers to women getting mammograms," says lead researcher Penny Sharp, an associate professor of family medicine at Wake Forest. "When women get together, they talk about how painful they are; the topic of pain always comes up."

But, Sharp adds, "if the pain is not as bad as women have said in the past ... it may not be quite as much of a barrier. Removing any barriers to women receiving these tests is important."

Those who reported pain rated it on a scale of 1 (no pain) to 10 ("the worst pain you've ever felt"). The level of pain averaged 4, with 5 classified "about average" -- resembling the pain intensity caused by a mild headache or wearing shoes that are a little too tight, the study says.

Of all the women screened at the center, 94 percent said they probably would get another mammogram the next year; only 2 percent, mostly younger women, said they would not.

Contrary to popular opinion, the study found no relation between consumption of caffeine before a mammogram and the level of pain.

The study did establish a direct connection between level of pain and the last menstrual period: Women who had periods within eight to 14 days of the mammograms reported significantly more pain.

Asked what aspects of the screening process bothered them, 39 percent listed waiting for results, compared with 25 percent who cited actually getting the mammogram.

Researchers found no correlation between pain during mammograms and age, race, breast size, body-mass index or presence of other medical conditions. Even those who said they were sensitive to pain did not report higher levels than other women, the study found.

Screening mammograms -- X-rays of the breast -- can detect clues to breast cancer among women who have no signs or symptoms of the disease, and early detection can be crucial.

The National Cancer Institute points to research that has shown mammogram screenings reduce the number of deaths from breast cancer for women aged 40 to 69, especially those over age 50. The institute recommends that women 40 and older have mammograms every one to two years.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women (behind skin cancer), and the second-leading cause of cancer deaths, according to the American Cancer Society.

Nearly 40,000 women are expected to die of breast cancer this year; more than 211,000 are expected to have the disease, the cancer society says.

Dr. Susan K. Boolbol, a breast surgeon at the Cancer Center of Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City, says the study reinforces the message that reports of mammogram pain are greatly exaggerated.

"The myth associated with mammograms is that they are incredibly painful," Boolbol says. "We hear frequently from patients that, 'I thought it would be terrible, but it wasn't bad at all.'"

"A lot of what we do is educate patients, and this study adds to the education of patients," she says. "Anything that helps us educate the public and helps patients get mammograms is important."

More information

For more on mammography screening, visit the National Cancer Institute. To learn more about breast cancer, check with the American Cancer Society.

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