HARTFORD, Conn. -- A new invention in use in Connecticut could help make mammograms more comfortable.

Connecticut has the highest rate of breast cancer in the United States, according to the Connecticut Breast Cancer Coalition Foundation.

Breast Cancer Studies In Connecticut Video: Pads Used In Breast Cancer Screenings

Lisa Lawrence has undergone mammogram procedures since she was in her 20s because she has a family history of breast cancer.

"My mother had breast cancer at 41," Lawrence said.

Mammograms are not painful, however, they are uncomfortable.

"The compression, and when they turn the machine to the side, you kind of get poked in the armpit," Lawrence said.

Mammograms involve the use of a cold metal plate and the vise-grip approach.

The new invention, however, allows doctor to use something that looks like a computer mouse pad that warms the plate and softens it underneath so the compression doesn't seem so tight.

A California breast surgeon who came up with the MammoPad designed it so the pad's surface keeps the breast in place.

"If the breast pulls back away from the X-ray film, you take away some of the information that might be important," said Kris Hedblom, a mammographer. "There may be something going on close to the chest wall and chances are you will miss that."

Because of sanitary reasons, the MammoPad cannot be used repeatedly. So, what they do is recycle the pads, which are later uses as padding for carpets.

Lawrence is not surprised that the doctor who invented the pad happens to be a woman.

"Absolutely not. We are always looking out for each other," she said. "We want to make sure stuff is more comfortable, especially in an exam like this. That pad absolutely makes an uncomfortable exam much more comfortable."

The pad is not available everywhere. Radiology Associates of Hartford is one of the few places that provide it, as well as Backus Hospital in Norwich.