Every year, 1,300 deaths are prevented by women choosing to attend their breast screening.

By their 53rd birthday, every woman in Medway, Dartford, Sittingbourne and Sheppey will be invited to a breast screening.

The thought of going can be scary and some might think it unnecesary, especially if you have no symptoms. But the six-minute appointment could change your life for the better.

Ivy Okereke is the superintendent mammographer at Medway Maritime Hospital and could be one of the happy faces you see when you attend your screening.

She said: “You can tell from their face if it is their first time.

“They are normally quite nervous but anyone would be, especially with the horror stories they hear from their friends.

“It’s our job to calm them down, be empathetic and answer any questions. We explain the whole procedure and that we are going to take pictures of the top, bottom and side of their breasts and they will feel some pressure.

“Most women come out and say ‘why was I scared, this is nothing like what I heard’.”

The appointment lasts just six minutes and will be either at Medway or in one of the screening vans. At the moment the vans are based in Bluewater, Gravesend and Sittingbourne and are manned by two mammographers, but they move around each year.

On your arrival at either the hospital or the van, you will be asked to confirm your details before changing in a cubicle.

When it is your turn you will go into the room with one mammographer, who will answer any questions you have and explain the whole procedure.

Ms Okereke said: “Women feel vulnerable when they come to us and it can be embarrassing for them, so we have to be professional and empathetic to them.

“People say their friends said ‘they compressed too much and I thought my boobs were going to pop’ or ‘they got called back and it was nothing and I don’t want to go through that anxiety’.

“So, after the screening and they say it wasn’t so bad, I say ‘go and tell your friend’. The conversations are often quite negative and don’t translate to what we do. People who have good experiences need to go and tell share their story.”

Dr Rupika Mehta, director of the breast screening unit, said: “We want to nip it in the bud and prevent rather than cure. Sometimes she is well, she can’t feel it, I can’t feel it, but it’s there.

“When I examine the image I’m looking for small areas of chalk or particles, which could be glandular tissue or an overlap, but we are always over cautious.

“People who come for the first time are more likely to get called back because we can’t compare it to their previous screening. But only one in five women who get called back after their screening will have cancer.”

If you find a lump you are encouraged to go to your GP for a referral.