Thinking about your first mammogram in Singapore? Here's what it really feels like, what it costs and how to prepare, glitter warning included.
Before my first mammogram, I heard two kinds of stories: horror stories and my mother’s stories, which were also horror stories, but she tells it with more flair, more shame and more conviction. The way Indian mums do best. Friends, on the other hand, talked about the pain like they were describing a medieval punishment. Others told me it was the most terrifying twenty minutes of their year. My own mother told me she hasn’t gone for a mammogram in years because she finds it uncomfortable and scary, and she said this with the calm of a woman who believes that not knowing is a perfectly reasonable health strategy.
Girl, I am not that woman. I get full blood work done twice a year because I would like to know what’s wrong with me before it’s even wrong with me. So I booked the appointment, walked in apprehensive, and walked out wondering what on earth everyone had been so worked up about.
First, the glitter
Let me set the scene. I’m undressed from the waist up at Luma Women’s Imaging Centre, standing in front of a machine designed to photograph the inside of my breast, and the technician leans in, pauses, and carefully picks a single flake of glitter off my left boob.
I mean, of course, I would have a stray piece of glitter on my left boob. I’d love to have an exciting story to tell you, about being backstage at a cabaret show, but in truth, I was just cleaning up my son’s slime concoction just that morning.
That said, it turns out there’s a very good reason she removed it. Clinics ask you not to wear deodorant, lotion or powder to a mammogram because many of these products contain tiny particles, such as aluminium, that can show up on the images as bright white specks. Those specks can look very similar to calcifications, which are usually harmless but can sometimes be an early sign of breast cancer, so a radiologist would need to take a closer look. A rogue piece of glitter is presumably a problem for the same reason. So yes, my breast was briefly a crime scene, and the evidence was craft supplies.
Does a mammogram hurt?
I’m not going to pretend it’s a spa day. Having your breast pressed flat between two plates is uncomfortable, and anyone who tells you otherwise has either never had one or is lying to get you through the door. But there’s a reason for it: a certain amount of compression is needed to get a clear image.
Luma Women’s Imaging Centre‘s team was great though — it’s a full women’s team, so you’re never really uncomfortable in front of a man, and what I didn’t expect was how short and manageable it was: each compression lasted a few seconds, the technician talked me through every step, and it was over before I’d finished working myself up about it. Uncomfortable? Yes. Anywhere near the torture I’d been promised? Not even close. I’ve had more pain from a Brazilian wax and considerably less conversation.
Technology has helped here too. Luma, for example, uses 3D mammogram machines with a flexible compression paddle that curves to fit the breast so the pressure is spread more evenly, and they say it requires less pressure than a traditional 2D mammogram while capturing better images.
The women who got me through it
What made the biggest difference was that every person I met through this entire process was a woman, including the doctor who consulted with me after, Dr Sue Ho, at Prologue The Lifestyle Medical Clinic. I didn’t realise how much that mattered until I was standing there topless, having my breast positioned on a plate like a slab of dough, and the person doing the positioning was chatting with me about her weekend. It made the awkwardness go away almost immediately, and I felt less like a patient and more like I’d been dragged to an appointment by a very efficient friend.
Then came the ultrasound. I lay down, the gel went on cold, and my technician had Christmas music playing softly in the background. In September. I asked her about it and she said it made the room feel happier, and honestly, she wasn’t wrong. It’s hard to feel anxious about your breasts while Mariah Carey is telling you all she wants for Christmas is you.
The biggest takeaway
Dr Sue, who shared a tale about her personal experience stresses that women should just do it. It feels intimidating, it feels arduous, but the truth is, according to the Singapore Cancer Registry, 1 in every 12 women in Singapore may develop breast cancer by age 75, and studies show that regular screening in women aged 40 and above can reduce breast cancer deaths by up to 50 per cent. Those are not numbers you avoid because a machine is going to squish you for a few seconds.
Yes, there’s the anxiety before and anxiety during and after that you have to deal with before you hopefully get a clean bill of health like I did, but I’m saying this to every woman who has been putting it off, including, especially, my mother: it’s uncomfortable, it’s quick, and it’s so much less frightening than not knowing.
What to know before your first mammogram
When to go. HPB recommends that women aged 50 and above go for a mammogram once every two years. If you’re between 40 and 49, a risk-benefit discussion with your doctor is recommended before you start screening. If you have a family history, it’s recommended that you start screening 10 years before the age your relative was diagnosed.
What it costs. For Singapore Citizens enrolled in Healthier SG, mammograms are subsidised when conducted or referred by their enrolled GP, and for eligible enrolled citizens the cost can be as low as $0. Screening is MediSave-claimable if you’re 50 and above.
Prologue has a special offer this Breast Cancer Awareness Month. for a breast health and wellness bundle that includes 3D mammogram and ultrasound, basic health screening, InBody body composition analysis and a body treatment of choice for $490.
Timing it right. For less discomfort, book your mammogram 7 to 10 days after your period starts, when your breasts are least tender.
What not to wear. Skip deodorant, lotion, powder and perfume on the day. If you forget, many centres have cleansing wipes, and you can bring your deodorant and put it on afterwards. And check yourself for glitter. Trust me.
If you get called back. Don’t panic. An abnormal result does not automatically mean breast cancer, and women with abnormal results are usually just asked to do follow-up tests such as a repeat mammogram or an ultrasound.
