Discussions

I dont understand why they tell women to wait until they are 40 to get a mammogram done? I am a 31 year old woman with no family history of breast cancer but cannot understand why even if the odds are low people my age arent encouraged to get a mammogram.

I realize 40 is the magic age because that is when the odds significantly increase but even in your 30's you can get breast cancer. If I were to request a mammogram I would be told its not necessary because of my age even though my insurance will cover it. I am told to go in every year to be checked for cervical cancer but not breast and it makes no sense to me.

 You're right ragdoll. It doesn't make sense. Even worse, until just a few years ago 50 was the magic age. But its happening to women more and more at a younger age. How to give yourself a self-exam, etc. should be taught to young girls from their teens on.

I agree, there seems to be a trend with the age where women are finding out they have breast cancer is getting younger & younger.  Someone needs to make notice of this and suggest a younger age for screening!

I TOTALLY agree with you! It is rediculous that 40 is the "magical age". My mom was diagnosed at age 35 and there are so many other young women being diagnosed everday.  I wonder if there is some kind of petition we could start and who we would send it to? I would be interested in changing this!

When you do get a mammogram, make sure it is a digital one.  I would probably still be walking around with cancer, unaware, except they just got new digital machines. 

They showed me my mammo from last year and compared the picture from this year -- it was so much clearer!  Amazing.  I think the cancer was there for a long time, but it could not be seen with the old style of mammograms.

I did read that some doctors feel that mammograms aren't warranted for younger patients because they think that the breast tissue is too dense to see anything anyway.  But I read recently that dense tissue is not necessarily tied to age.

So if your doctor won't let you get a mammogram but your insurance will cover it, then go to another doctor!  Have your internist order it, or your ob/gyn!  How do they know if you have dense breast tissue if they haven't done a mammogram yet?

We must advocate for ourselves...

I actually had my first around age 32 because I had a pain in my chest left over from a nasty cough.  I went to the doctor and he ordered a mammogram.

Unbeknownst to me, my husband had the same chest pain, due to the same kind of cough.  And he went to our doctor with the same complaint.  The doctor ordered a stress test for him.  I had to laugh!

The tests -- well I figured they didn't hurt... and we were fine, then.

Fast forward 20 years later and now I do have breast cancer.

But I am going to get rid of that, with my summer project -- chemo and mastectomy...

Betsy

Betsy, I am sorry to hear about your summer project... I hope next summers project can be something more relaxing like a margarita and a beach!

I did go to my obgyn and she did mention that they dont like to do mammograms due to dense breast tissue in younger women. I dont know if density is at all related to firmness but if it is I am not worried about density at all. LOL. She did go ahead and order one based on family history. I have my appointment next week but the people at the mammogram clinic clearly are irritated that someone in their early 30's is coming in to get one. I really dont care what they think though, its my life not theirs and they get paid the same!

I think its funny that if you look at books published even 10 years ago the attitude towards getting screenings and self checks has drastically changed and I imagine in another 10 years they will have changed even more. Like I said they tell women to get checked for cervical cancer yearly while she is as likely to get breast cancer yet they ignore that until much later. Stupid stupid stupid. If something is so simple as getting a mammogram could possibly save your life even at an early age for comparisons later WHY NOT??

I've also heard about denser tissue... but being 24, myself, I can't imagine where I'd be if I had to wait until 40 to get this checked out.

Honestly, there needs to be more information for younger women. I've never had a mam (my first will be on Thursday), and I have no idea how to do a self exam. Not really. I just noticed my lump due to the luck of it being painful and at a point that's easy to notice, even if you aren't really looking for it. If not for that, this could have gone on for ages. No one would have been looking at all.

 Okay, I went and re-read in Dr. Susan Love's Breast Book about mammography.

So, she says that the breast tissue is denser when a patient is younger, and when a patient is premenopausal it would be typical to have dense breasts.  And when the tissue is dense, so is a tumor.  So the tumor will not show up as well on a mammogram.  It is like looking for something white in the snow.

But there are other screening tests available.  And also it does not mean that a mammogram should not be attempted when a lump is felt or a problem is suspected.

Personally I am glad that I had my first mammogram at a younger age.  I don't know how much they could see, but I felt like I was doing something, just in case...

 ragdoll, I cannot believe how unprofessional that office is to give you a hard time about your mamm.

I almost would want to go to another imaging center...

Good for you, sticking your ground...

Betsy

 Hi kyronae,

You are very young to have lump! Let us know how the mammogram turns out. 

In my case, self exam did not help.  There is no lump to feel.  So I am glad for the mammogram, that showed up the calcifications that ultimately pointed to me having a biopsy.  But self exams are very helpful with other kinds of lumps.  You can get a description from your nurse or even on this website on how to do a self exam.

Hope your mammogram is a digital one -- they seem to show more.

Betsy

 i could not agree with you more!........i think just like going and gettign a pap smear done, they should allow you to be checked to do a mammogram, age should not matter at all when it comes to health, i was 36 when i was diganosed, and even then they were shocked, like they couldn't belive it happen to a women whoes under 40, it does happen and it is happening more often, they should start at 18 i think, and it is a choice, but you never know, it could save a life!..............

lisaof3

I knew that I had a history of cancer in my family. I even mentioned that to my gynocologist the past 2 years during my annual pap smear/evaluation.  However I was not 40 yet. Well, April 27, 2009 I was diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 years of age. I did not do self-exams either.  I just felt the lump one day.  It stinks!

 You are so right.  I am 31 years old and was just diagnosed with breast cancer.  My mom and my grandma both had breast cancer.  I went to my OB/GYN when I was 29 requesting a mammagram and he told me I was way to young, that I should wait until I was at least 35.