In light of the recent talk about the change in who should be recommended to get a mammogram, I felt it was necessary to explore the issue.  Breast cancer has been a growing scare these past several decades, and in the past 15 years alone, I have lost my grandmother and a close friend, and know several other people who are battling it right now.  Sadly, not everyone is going to make it.  I know this already.  Others have been successful in beating it or preventing it from going any further.  I don't see how saying women who are younger than 50 should not be routinely screened if they don't have a family history.

Who Should Have a Mammogram?

With the exception of children and adolescents, all women should be entitled to mammograms.  I understand the idea behind not having women younger than 50 not having a mammogram as routine as a dental visit every six months, since there is a cost factor, and it can prove unnecessary if the results are normal.  But for the same reason we have pap smears at every annual gynecological exam to rule out abnormalities, a mammogram is useful in tracking changes in a woman's breasts.  If a woman has no family history, that is tough - doctors may or may not be as diligent about ensuring a woman maintains good breast health.  The doctor can be lax, persuading the woman to not worry about having a mammogram until it becomes necessary.  Of course, any doctor can also be what I consider "test happy", where he or she might treat a woman like a lab rat and have her undergo all kinds of tests (not limited to a mammogram) "just because" and run up her bill unnecessarily.  Sure, she'll have peace of mind knowing that she is healthy if nothing is found, or else always worry that she will have something wrong with her eventually, or be mired down with all the medical debt she's incurred.

Know Your Body

The best thing you can ever do for yourself is to know your body.  Learn how to do Breast Self Exams (BSE's) and do them monthly.  Have a doctor you trust, so that if ever you have concerns, you aren't placated or denied.  I do agree that it is up to a woman to talk with her doctor on an individual basis on whether or not she should have a mammogram if she is younger than the specified age range, but I also feel that a mammogram is a lifesaver for younger women who develop breast cancer but who never did feel a lump on their own.  Far too often, a lump that can be felt signifies a more advanced stage of cancer.  How many times have women suddenly been diagnosed with stage 4 right off the bat without having had family history, symptoms, or anything?  With as paranoid people are about H1N1 and ensuring we know the symptoms and seek treatment as soon as possible, it boggles my mind that less instead of more is done with cancer detection.

Age is Just a Number

When it comes to breast cancer, age doesn't always matter.  I have known women in their 20s and 30s who have had breast cancer.  I was 29 when I myself had a breast lump that turned out to be a Phylloides tumor.  Initially considered "too young" to be "at risk" for cancer, I was advised to have an ultrasound and/or mammogram if I wanted to in order to feel more at ease.  I don't fault my doctor for having that attitude, and I think that that sort of patient-doctor conversation is what this new taskforce meant.  But I do have a problem with doctors assuming that just because a woman is younger than the norm that there isn't a chance for something to be wrong.  Especially with how our environment is - with the air we breathe, the food we eat - such things have a way of tricking our bodies into feeling older to where people are now experiencing more illnesses at earlier ages than ever!  That in itself should give us pause.  We should be lowering and not increasing the age for when women should have mammograms, even without a family history!  I truly think that is going to be the only way women will get more serious about their health and not be lazy about noting any breast changes and seeking medical advice as soon as it's warranted.

Cost Should Not Hamper Mammograms

While I agree that there should be a minimal cost for a mammogram, just as there is with a pap smear, I don't think it should be an outrageous cost that would make a woman hold off on getting one.  And if a woman has financial problems, there should ALWAYS be places for her to turn in order to have one free.  Health insurance companies tend to be so greedy for money these days, but at the same time, I can see that they are trying to make a profit because of the abundance of sickly people who they lose business on because of premature deaths or too high premium costs.  It is a two-fold dilemma, because we want the health insurance companies to be on our side and give us a break, and they have to realize that by their strict policies, many are not as healthy as they could be, since they can't afford the treatments they need.  Yet insurance companies are businesses too, as are the healthcare facilities, and they have all been hard-hit by our struggling economy.  So what's the solution?  Everyone should have an equal chance at being healthy, plain and simple.  Because in doing that, we're keeping the economy going.  No one should be denied coverage or not be allowed to have mammograms or other tests because the insurance company or your doctor doesn't let you.  It's our right to agree or turn down treatment, but we should never be turned away.