Each year, over 1 million women undergo diagnostic breast biopsies, approximately 70-80% of which culminate in a benign outcome. However, as one researcher eloquently put it, “a benign biopsy is not a benign experience.” In her talk, Dr. Kate Sweeny will discuss the findings from a recent study that sought to examine the psychological experience of women undergoing breast biopsy, with a focus on predictors of distress and strategies used to cope with feelings of uncertainty during this common diagnostic procedure. Over 200 female patients were interviewed at an appointment for a breast biopsy, just prior to undergoing the biopsy procedure. The findings reveal a complex set of interrelationships among predictors, markers of distress, and use of coping strategies. Taken together, the results suggest that patients focus on their immediate experience (e.g., subjective health, feelings of risk, perceptions of support) in the face of the acute moment of uncertainty prompted by a biopsy procedure, relative to more distal considerations like health history and demographic circumstances. Dr. Sweeny will discuss how these findings can guide clinicians’ interactions with patients at the biopsy appointment and can serve as a foundation for interventions designed to reduce distress in this context.