I received the following question from a facebook friend and I told her that I would address it here on my blog.
Q. When should you get your first mammogram?
A. It depends on what you and your doctor decide together is best for you. More than likely, you'll start at age 40.
The widely accepted protocol in the US is that women should start receiving mammograms when they are 40 years old. This age has been widely debated and some people feel that the age should be raised to 50 because most women are diagnosed after that age. However, for women like myself, diagnosed before 40, I think that it is a bad idea.
When you start getting mammograms also depends on your family history of breast cancer. If you have close relatives who have dealt with breast cancer, depending on the age that they were diagnosed, you may need to start getting mammograms earlier than 40. If you have a family connection, then your doctor will probably suggest that you start getting your mammograms when you are at least 10 years younger than your relative was when she was diagnosed.
My story is that I found my breast cancer by feeling a lump doing a BSE (breast self-exam). I wasn't 40 years old. In fact, I had been looking forward to that next step. I considered it a rite of passage that meant that I was indeed, growing and maturing. (Yes, I'm strange like that.)
So, I highly advise every woman to give herself a self-exam once a month. And also to remind the doctor to give you a clinical exam when you go for your yearly exam. It takes just a few moments and can make all the difference in the world.
You can make it fun and sexy if you want; ask your partner to join you in examining your breasts. Whatever it takes. Just make it happen.
That's all for now,
~Nic
