BOSTON -- More than 40,000 women will die from breast cancer this year, according to health officials. But that number is decreasing in part because more women are getting mammograms.

NewsCenter 5's Heather Unruh reported that there are still many women who avoid the test. On Wednesday, Boston style guru Gretchen Monahan let NewsCenter 5 accompany her to her first mammogram to show women everywhere how quick, painless and important a mammogram can be.

Monahan, 35, owns the GrettaLuxe fashion boutique and GrettaCole salons and day spas. She said she wants women to feel empowered to take control of their health.

"I'm nervous. I would never tell anybody out there that I wasn't. It's part of the package -- you get afraid," she said.

Doctors recommend that most women begin getting mammograms at age 40. But Monahan's aunt is a breast cancer survivor, so with a family history of the disease, she needs to start sooner. Her doctor credits mammograms with lowering the number of breast cancer deaths.

"If we can find a Stage 1 cancer which is a small tumor on the breast on mammography before anybody can feel it, the long term survival is fantastic," said Dr. Elsie Levin, of Faulkner Hospital.

The entire mammogram process takes about five minutes. When the mammogram is over, the images are immediately available for Monahan and her doctor to see.

"It didn't hurt. It didn't pinch. I just felt unusual. It's uncomfortable pressure, but not pain," Monahan said.

But she's not in the clear just yet. Young women often have dense breasts and Monahan's doctor wants to use ultrasound to get a better look. Levin concludes that Monahan's tests are clear.

"When I think about that fact that to do this could prevent treatments such as chemo or radiation, which I saw my aunt go through, give me this any day of the week. I'll do it -- happily," Monahan said.

Monahan credited the staff at Faulkner Hospital's Sagoff Breast Imaging Center for making her experience so painless. She will host a fundraising event for the center this weekend.