Can you just ask your doctor for a mammagram at 30?

Question

It don't believe it's standard at 30 with an HMO that they will do one. But with people getting cancer so young these days I want one! And does one mean they can find ANY lumps you may have? No one in my family has had breast cancer, but I still want the mammagram

Answer 1

Routine screening mammography is not done on young women who have no symptoms (lump, discharge etc) or a family history of breast cancer. Most doctors will not order a mammogram, and no insurance company will reimburse you for the cost, in a case such as yours. If you can get a doctor's order for a mammogram, you can always pay for the procedure out of pocket, without involving the insurance company. Your risk of getting breast cancer before the age of 40 is very low....it can happen, but thank god, it doesn't happen often.

Even if a younger woman had a lump, most doctors will order an ultrasound before a mammogram, because most breast lumps, in young women, are cysts. Cysts are not cancer, do not become cancer and can come and go with the hormonal fluctuations of your menstrual cycle. An ultrasound is a very good way to diagnose a breast cyst. If the mass felt is not a cyst, then we would do a mammogram. So, even if you have symptoms, a mammogram is really not the best imaging study for you.

A young woman has dense breast tissue. Dense tissue appears white on the x-ray film....and so do all signs of breast cancer (both masses/lumps or calcifications). You cannot see white pathology through white, dense normal tissue. It is like trying to see a white volleyball in the snow in a photograph. So, for young women, mammography is not very accurate.

Also, dense breast tissue requires a higher dose of radiation to get an adequately penetrated image. Whenever we do any imaging study involving radiation, we must be reasonably sure that the benefits outweigh the risks of the procedure. In your case, the dose of radiation that would be delivered to your breast has a certain risk. If the chance of getting any benefit from this radiation dose is so low, then the overall benefit does not outweigh the risk.

"In general, regular mammograms are not recommended for women under 40 years old, in part, because breast tissue tends to be more dense in young women, making mammograms less effective as a screening tool. In addition, most experts believe the low risk of developing breast cancer at a young age does not justify the radiation exposure or the cost of mammography."

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/guide/breast-cancer-young-women?page=2

"There is no evidence to support routine mammography screening of women younger than 40 years of age. Because the breast tissue of pre-menopausal women tends to be denser than that of post-menopausal women, mammograms of younger women can be more difficult to read, increasing the rate of false positive and false negative results. Younger women should get to know their bodies by doing regular breast self exams and should have any unusual lumps checked out by a doctor. They should also make sure their doctors give them thorough clinical breast exams when they go in for annual check-ups."

http://www.bcaction.org/Pages/GetInformed/FAQStatistics.html#Q5

Answer 2

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Answer 3

In Britain routine mammograms start at age 50; I think in America it's 40, I may be wrong.

The reason mammograms aren't routinely done on younger women is that breast tissue in women under about 45 is denser and a mammogram is less able to detect abnormalities, and so fairly pointless unless you've found a lump in which case you'd have a scan and perhaps a biopsy as well to establish whether it was cancerous - a mammogram can NOT establish this.

As you've no history of breast cancer in your family, I imagine - though I don't know the American health care system well enough to be sure - that you would be refused one.

I suggest you continue with your routine self-examinations, which are your best means of defence as most breast lumps are discovered by women themselves rather than by mammograms - sometimes lumps mammograms don't detect are found by self-examination.

Answer 4

Ask your doctor if S/HE thinks you need a mammogram. The 'quality' of the mammogram varies according to the equipment and the person doing them, but they are the BEST way to be sure ... and if you are 'paranoid' enough, your HMO may pay for this to be done even though you are ten years younger than normal. Talk this over with your doctor, though ... and there are other places that give mammograms, sometimes for free or a 'lower cost,' so you may be sent to one of them, and because they do mammograms more frequently, you will get a 'good reading' on yours if you do that. You should NEVER be ashamed to ask your doctor about mammograms ... generally, they are given to a woman after the age of 40 at the same time or shortly after the 'pap smear' for cervical cancer. This is a 'normal thing' with EVERY WOMAN who is 'aware' and who wants to be safe ... so ASK. It can't HURT anything, and you'll KNOW what to do then...

Answer 5

I think in order for insurance to cover it at 30 a doctor has to order it and a doctor needs a reason besides concern.
I know that if you find a lump a 30 insurance will cover it but I think that's it.
The only other time I can think of is if you want to go in for a breast reduction and insurance is covering it.

Answer 6

Yep, My sister's 31 and she had one a few months back. They'll help anyone who wants to know, they'll be glad you're thinking about it. Many women already in their 50's and 60's won't go to get one, so they are happy to oblige anyone smart enough to want one.

They are very accurate and should locate any lump, and be able to tell if it's benign (safer) or malignant (dangerous). It's good you have no family history of breast cancer, it's a good indicator, but that doesn't always mean anything. Good for you for being concerned.

Answer 7

I would find you Insurance # toll free number and ask. Even if you have to pay out of pocket, please have one anyhow.

You are right to want one at 30. Many females have died due to breast cancer prior to their 30th Birthday so I'm guessing a lot of males must form the HMO policies if this is the case.

Answer 8

You can, and more importantly; if you want any test or treatment you Should ask your doctor. You know your own body better than anyone else. Doctors are professionally trained, but intimately you know yourself better than any doctor will. It behooves you to seek out any medical help you feel you need. No one else will make you go to a doctor now that you are an adult. If this doctor refuses, discourages, insults you or makes you feel ashamed for asking, or does anything else than something to help you, you should find another doctor immediately. It is your body, your health, and your responsibility.

Answer 9

well im in uk,and they wont.im 46 my sisters 48,38,our mum had breast cancer and had a double masectomy she survived 15 years after that,then she sadley died last oct of stomach cancer,we asked for the mammagram and were told we got to wait untill were 50 i know it sounds stupid but thats what we were told.

Answer 10

Have one done. Pay for it, yourself, if your insurance won't cover it. They aren't that costly, and one could save your life. It is a shame that people can't get the preventive medical care they need. Wonder why insurance companies don't realize preventing disease is less expensive than treating disease?