How bad is it to not do a mammogram?

[Anonymous]

Oh fine. Don't get one.
Hey, I had mammograms for decades and never had cancer. Until I did.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never had a mammogram or Pap smear. Pushing 50. I know the risks and am fine with my decision.

45. I've had a couple Pap smears but never had a mammogram and similarly am okay with it.

Being militant towards other people about this doesn't make sense to me. It's a personal choice and their business. I don't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use marijuana, all of which are known to raise cancer risk. But I also don't go around demanding other people do what I do. I assume adults who are drinking and smoking and using pot know their risk and decided they are okay with it. That's their choice.

I’m not trying to be intrusive, but how do you get to this age and not have a Pap smear? Have you just been a virgin the whole time? Or just use condoms and never had any sort of STD screening?

Because even with the HPV vaccine, not all strains are covered.

Yes, I've been a virgin "the whole time" I've been alive. And I didn't get the HPV vaccine. I'm not opposed, just too old for them to give it to me.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My sister skipped hers for 2 years, from age 43-45, when she was going through a hard time personally.

When she finally got one she found she had stage 3b cancer and it’s not clear she’ll make it. If they’d caught it sooner she would have had a much higher chance.

She has a chance of making it. I hope you don’t talk that way to her.

Signed, someone with 3C cancer who used to think mammograms every year weren’t necessary.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You should get a mammogram. I'm only one person but in the last 3 years I've had 3 friends under the age of 45 diagnosed with breast cancer. While the guideline is currently to begin at 40, guidelines are notoriously slow to change especially when it comes to women's health.

And that doesn’t make you go ‘hmmm?’

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I've never had a mammogram or Pap smear. Pushing 50. I know the risks and am fine with my decision.

45. I've had a couple Pap smears but never had a mammogram and similarly am okay with it.

Being militant towards other people about this doesn't make sense to me. It's a personal choice and their business. I don't drink alcohol, smoke cigarettes, or use marijuana, all of which are known to raise cancer risk. But I also don't go around demanding other people do what I do. I assume adults who are drinking and smoking and using pot know their risk and decided they are okay with it. That's their choice.

Of course it's your choice. I just happen to think it's a foolish one.

If you always do the most risk averse and responsible thing in life, 100% of the time no exceptions, good for you.

If you don't and are a human being, then you can be quiet.

My MIL never had a colonoscopy and died of lung cancer. She had smoked for 40 years, quit in her 50s. Died in her 70s.
She was never ever screened for lung cancer despite her smoking history, yet they rode her for years about colon cancer screening. Go figure

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The rise in non-hereditary breast cancer among women in their late 30s and early 40s is astronomical. I personally know so many women with breast cancer right now, all of whom should be fine because they caught it early.

Call while you’re driving or walking your dog. I find it easier to do these admin tasks while I’m also doing something else.

Why the huge rise?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BFF never did mammograms (host of reasons that she kept rationalizing.) Well, the kicker was that she had metastatic breast cancer (finally went to a doctor when it became the size of a golf ball and protruded into her armpit.) By then it was too late and she died 18m later. I often wonder what would have happened if she got regular mammograms.

Flip side - my sister gets them regularly, caught her breast cancer early, had it removed, did 10 courses of radiation (no chemo needed), and has been cancer free for 8y.

Figure out your insurance.

I have an acquaintance who got annual mammograms religiously (she was a nurse) but was nonetheless diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 breast cancer. Mammograms are a great screening tool but some forms of cancer are deadly and aggressive regardless of when you find them. Unfortunately.

THIS

[Anonymous]

No history of breast cancer in my family and had no results every year until I got complacent in my late 40s and skipped about 4 years. By the time I went back, I had a tumor the size of an egg.

I was lucky in that it turned out to be a very rare benign tumor called a PASH tumor (pseudo-angiomatous stromal hyperplasia) but I still had to have a surgical lumpectomy.

Now I’m 58 and I skipped my ‘25 mammogram so I’m playing hooky again, but have had two NP office breast exams at least in between.

If you’re covered for them, get them.

[Anonymous]

OP, it’s not horrible at all. It’s a little uncomfortable; a little unpleasant. And they are so good and efficient that is over with very quickly. All you have to do is communicate with them, and they can make you more comfortable. You’ve got this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:No history of breast cancer in my family and had no results every year until I got complacent in my late 40s and skipped about 4 years. By the time I went back, I had a tumor the size of an egg.

I was lucky in that it turned out to be a very rare benign tumor called a PASH tumor (pseudo-angiomatous stromal hyperplasia) but I still had to have a surgical lumpectomy.

Now I’m 58 and I skipped my ‘25 mammogram so I’m playing hooky again, but have had two NP office breast exams at least in between.

If you’re covered for them, get them.

I cannot believe you were given the unbelievable grace and good fortune of coming through that experience unharmed, and you still “played hooky.” That’s absolutely a disgrace. Think of the women who weren’t so lucky. All they would have given to have had a second chance, and you’re throwing it away with both hands.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’ve avoided it for 10 yrs after I did one, and it was horrible - painful, felt manhandled and disrespected.
However, a friend had cancer found during a mammogram just recently, with no other warning or symptoms or family hx.
So, I’m finally going next month.

I've never had a horrible experience. You need to go in with a good mindset. It's over quickly and you're in and out. I swear some people can't adult.

Maybe it’s possible not everyone has the same experience?
Might want to work on the compassion bit.

I agree.

I had heard horror stories about them being extremely painful however my personal experience was 💯% no pain at all.

And I have a low tolerance for pain so there is that.

[Anonymous]

Trust me. Having breast cancer is way more inconvenient. Find out what pain pill you can take an hour before a mammogram. Also ask for a sonogram, especially if you have dense breasts. Painless.

[Anonymous]

Plus not having a family history does not mean you can’t get breast cancer. I had breast cancer. And three years later, my mother did.

[Anonymous]

NP and BC survivor. Copying and pasting what I wrote before on DCUM.

I was diagnosed with stage 1 breast cancer at 41 through a screening mammogram. No symptoms, no family history, no gene mutations. I’m so glad I ignored the “wait till you are 50” camp!! We caught my cancer super early, and as a result treatment was more manageable and my prognosis is excellent (despite it being an aggressive type of cancer).

My advice:

1) Get a baseline mammogram asap, which will tell you if you have dense breasts (having dense breasts is in itself a risk factor and may warrant more frequent screening).

2) Do genetic testing. There are now very comprehensive panels that analyze 80+ genes associated with many different types of cancers, not just breast cancer. As part of your genetic testing, you will also be given an assessment (based on different factors such as age, breast density, family history etc) of your overall risk of developing breast cancer, and you will get recommendations for increased screening if you fall into the “high risk” category. I highly recommend Dr. Reem Saadeh-Haddad for this, she is excellent.

3) Get screened!! Annual mammograms starting at 40, and DEMAND ultrasounds if you have dense breasts (there is also something now called FAST breast MRI which is very accurate and might be a great option if you have dense breasts and/or are considered high-risk).

4) Have a healthcare provider examine your breasts regularly and learn how to self-exam. Don’t just learn how to self-exam, actually do it, and often. Familiarize yourself with your breasts and notice any changes.

5) Stay positive. Screening for breast cancer is scary, there are lots of call-backs after mammograms for example, but for the very, very vast majority of women, these call-backs will NOT lead to a breast cancer diagnosis! So try to relax into the process, educate yourself about it and take it for what it is: an imperfect process that WILL make a HUGE difference though in the unlikely event that you are diagnosed with breast cancer in your 40s.

I hope this helps!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:BFF never did mammograms (host of reasons that she kept rationalizing.) Well, the kicker was that she had metastatic breast cancer (finally went to a doctor when it became the size of a golf ball and protruded into her armpit.) By then it was too late and she died 18m later. I often wonder what would have happened if she got regular mammograms.

Flip side - my sister gets them regularly, caught her breast cancer early, had it removed, did 10 courses of radiation (no chemo needed), and has been cancer free for 8y.

Figure out your insurance.

I have an acquaintance who got annual mammograms religiously (she was a nurse) but was nonetheless diagnosed with metastatic stage 4 breast cancer. Mammograms are a great screening tool but some forms of cancer are deadly and aggressive regardless of when you find them. Unfortunately.

THIS

Does this mean you shouldn’t get them, though? The majority of cancers are detected on mammogram. If you have a slower-growing cancer, wouldn’t you want to find it as early as possible?