Reply to How bad is it to not do a mammogram?

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]I've never had a mammogram or Pap smear. Pushing 50. I know the risks and am fine with my decision.[/quote]

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.[/quote]

I don’t think anyone is being “militant”. If you know and understand your risks, then that’s all good. At least several PPs don’t seem to fully understand their risks. Most breast cancers are not genetic, so not having family history just means you’re at baseline population risk (which is about 1/8), not zero. And not drinking or smoking doesn’t mean zero risk either - ask me how I know. [/quote]

OP is not even 45, which is when the recommendation for annual mammograms start. She's at the age where some people choose to start getting them and others don't, and the American Cancer Society doesn't even recommend them annually. So yes, I would say scolding her and acting like she's playing fast and loose with her life for essentially following the prevailing medical wisdom on this screening is "militant."

It is no big deal that OP hasn't had a mammogram yet. The very fact that she is thinking about it at her age indicates that she's in good shape. And I would bet that most of the people screening her, telling her she's being irresponsible or negligent, and trying to scare her with stories of women missing a single mammogram and then being diagnosed with irreversible cancer, all do one thing or another (including drinking, smoking, not getting proper sleep, poor diet, insufficient exercise, etc.) that increases their medical risk for all kinds of things. [/quote]

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