One of the most commonly cited reasons women detest and defer regular mammograms is that it is painful.
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But quite frankly, I've worn shoes for an entire day that hurt more than a mammogram.
Making the time to get my first breast screen was one of those things which intermittently found its way onto my to-do list before being shoved down the line by more pressing needs - getting my youngest immunised, getting the air conditioner serviced, buying my oldest new school shoes.
A mammogram was just another background buzz in the cacophony of a life with two children and a job.
Except last week, I just called up and made an appointment.
How hard could it be? I wondered. I picked up the phone, called 13 20 50 and it was done.
Writing stories about the ACT's higher-than-average breast cancer rates and lower-than-average screening rates made me consider what I was actually waiting for.
From the age of 40, ACT women have access to free mammograms through the BreastScreen ACT service while women between 50 and 69 are strongly advised to get screened every two years.
A few days later, I wandered into the ACT Health Building on Moore Street, filled out a form, and my name was called.
I was ushered into a cubicle, took off my bra, kept my shirt on and went into an X-ray room with my technician, Melissa.
She explained how the machine worked and said the procedure would take about five minutes.
I was, shall we say, putty in her hands. While she warned me to let her know if the pressure became too much, it didn't strike me as more than momentarily uncomfortable.
Having spent a combined three years breastfeeding two children, I'd dealt with worse.
Clearly, it's a bit of an affront to one's dignity to be topless with a stranger but Mel sees hundreds of pairs of breasts each week.
Just as quickly as it started it was over and my clothes were back on.
My scans will now be assessed by two radiologists, working independently from each other to give the most accurate results. And if all goes well, I will receive an all-clear letter in the mail within four weeks.
If, god forbid, they find anything unusual, my scans will be referred to a more senior radiologist and I will be contacted by phone and brought in for further scans, examinations, ultrasound and perhaps a biopsy.
As terrifying as the prospect of them finding something on my scan is, the prospect of not knowing is worse.
The greatest weapon against breast cancer has always been, and continues to be, early detection.
And despite my preconceptions, a mammogram is really no big inconvenience.
The whole thing took 20 minutes.
For a few moments as I walked back to my car, I felt proud for having done it, before my mind immediately snapped back to all the other outstanding things on my to-do list.
Women over the age of 40 can have a free mammogram. Phone 13 20 50 for an appointment.