Influence of discomfort tolerance of women who undergo mammography on the perceived pain intensity due to the procedure

Abstract

Objective: This study aims to determine the capacity to tolerate discomfort by women who undergo mammography. Materials and Methods: The data were obtained using the face-to-face interview method immediately after the procedure with women who undergo mammography (n=132). Demographic data collection form and the Discomfort Intolerance Scale was used for data collection. Results: Among the women, 78.8% experienced pain during mammography and the pain intensity was determined as 3.55 (standard deviation=3.00) on the 0-10 Visual Analogue Scale. Women who were not on pain relievers and nonsmokers have high discomfort tolerance. Women who were consuming substances containing methylxanthine (eg. chocolate) tend to avoid discomfort. Women with a history of breast mass and abnormal test results did not avoid discomfort as much as women who undergo regular checkup mammograms. Most of the women experience pain during mammography, and avoidance from discomfort increases as the perceived pain during the procedure increases. Conclusion: Conducting different studies using the same scale can be useful in evaluating the discomfort experienced during mammography and its contribution to reducing pain.