How old were you when...

[disfan07]

You got your first mammogram?

I just saw a new GYN and based on my family history adn risk factors, she wants me to get a baseline mammogram within teh next year....I'm 20.

I havent seen a GYN since I was 16 but when i was seeing him, he also recommended getting a baseline around 20.

Both my grandmothers had breast cancer, both my great aunts on my moms side had breast cancer adn my mom has had 3 biopsies for suspcious lumps (all benign)

Between that family history and other risk factors she thinks better safe than sorry to get a baseline now. But getting a mammogram at 20 seems really young to me.

My mom was 35 when she got her baseline done (15 years ago)

i was just curious how old other people where when they got their first mammogram

 

[The Mystery Machine]

35 because I was having issues.

I would get a baseline based on your history esp. if it is covered. And remember insurance companies are the ones dictating these ages not doctors.

If doctors could do things based upon your issues/symptoms people would be having colonoscopies, mammograms, echocardiograms, & even things with your teeth, etc... more often.

 

[disfan07]

Yeah thats what my mom is trying to figure out about it being covered.

She AND my grandma want me to get it even if its not covered just so that we know. My grandparetns are willing to pay OOP for it.

Its a tough subject in my family. All 4 who had breast cancer went into remission adn then relapsed so my granparetns will pay anything they have to to make sure I get screened ASAP.

My grandma has the BRCA gene but my mom does not. It is possible that i have it but im not sure i want to get tested even though that could make the difference about me getting covered.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Both my grandmothers had breast cancer, both my great aunts on my moms side had breast cancer adn my mom has had 3 biopsies for suspcious lumps (all benign)

You should give your doctor a big hug for this. She is being proactive in protecting your health, given your serious family history. I'm sure they don't expect to find anything, but having a baseline mammogram on hand will help them sort out problems in the future if something does show up (ie you develop a suspicious area or find a lump yourself). As a BC survivor myself, I plan to have my own DD get a baseline around that age as well, and if I have to pay for it myself, then so be it.

 

[Minniemama350]

If it is covered, get it! I had mine at 40. Right away they scaredme because something was unusual. I had just had a lifesaving hystrectomy and now I needed a second mammogram?! Turns out I was fine, but had I had a baseline earlier they would have known hat my normal was already!

 

[NC State]

I was 40, both grandmothers had breast cancer. I'm 45 now and I go every January, it's something I do for myself.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

My grandma has the BRCA gene but my mom does not. It is possible that i have it but im not sure i want to get tested even though that could make the difference about me getting covered.

I wasn't going to bring this up, but since you did...

I've had testing done as well. It was recommended by my oncologist because women who are positive for the gene have a higher risk of breast cancer AND ovarian cancer. With breast cancer, at least there's screening. Right now there is no good screening for ovarian cancer so it's good to know if you're at higher risk so that preventative measures can be taken.

What I did before I made a firm decision on having the test done was to sit down with a genetic counselor who went over my entire family history going back three generations. She was pretty sure based on that history that we were not going to find the gene. That alone may have been enough for me if I was on the fence about testing because of not being insurable, etc. (But in my case, I already had cancer so that didn't matter as much.)

I have a good friend whose mother died of BC. She didn't have testing but she does have yearly mammograms alternating with yearly MRIs as a preventative measure. She's in her early 40s now and started several years back when she stepped up her worry about her risk after she had kids.

All this is something you need to work with your doctor on. It's a personal decision between you and your doc (and I suppose your insurance company if payment is an issue). The fact that you have a great doc who takes this seriously is a huge step in the right direction. Good luck to you.

http://www.facingourrisk.org/

ETA I just reread that one GM is gene positive. (I originally thought you meant she had testing.) This ups the anty for you and makes me even more happy your doc is being so proactive. Good luck, sweetie.

PS to answer your question, I was 36 yo when I got a baseline mamm and had them yearly thereafter. I had no family history of BC. I found a lump about two weeks after I turned 41 and it turned out to be a very aggressive, invasive cancer that was not evident on my mammogram of 11 months earliler. According to Dr Susan Love, the breast cancer surgeon and expert, the cellular changes of cancer begin many years earlier, up to 7 or 8 years earlier, even. That's why it's good to keep up with mammograms and self exams. The earlier you find a problem, the better.

 

[cntrygal]

I was 19. I too have some family history and had a lump, i am 36 now and have had several mammos since.

 

[DebbieB]

I was 28, I had a lump, it turned out to be a cyst. I seem to remember getting another one before 35. My mom was diagnosed when I was 36, so my doctor recommended one every year after that.

If your doctor wants you to get, do it. A couple seconds of discomfort isn't worth losing your life. My Mom had not had a mammogram in 14 years when she was diagnosed at age 61. She had a lump and the cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes. She was fortunate to live 9 1/2 years but she had to go through alot of chemo in those years, which was much more uncomfortable than a mammogram. I always wonder if she would have gone for her yearly mammograms if she would be alive today (died in 2005).

 

[disfan07]

So I guess its not as crazy as i thought.

I htink in the back of my mind I know its a good idea to have it done now but I guess I just needed to hear it from someone OTHER than my mom and grandma.
If my grandma had it her way i would have had my baseline in middle school (I went through puberty EARLY--like when I was 10)

 

[KramBerries]

Mid-40s and I still haven't had one. Probably never will.

 

[MinnieTink]

Mid-40s and I still haven't had one. Probably never will.

Why not?


OP, I was 27 and had a lump. Thankfully it was a benign fibroadenoma, which I guess I'm prone to because I have one in the other breast now.

I have worked in a radiology facility for many years. Many times very young women have very dense breasts and an ultrasound is recommended instead or in addition to a mammo. You may want to mention that to your dr. Best of luck to you!

 

[DebbieB]

Mid-40s and I still haven't had one. Probably never will.

As I mentioned above, my mom's refusal to get a mammogram may have cost her her life, after several years of painful treatment.

I know several women in their 40's and 50's who had early cancer caught by mammogram and are alive today totally healthy. None of them had to have a mastectomy, they were all treated with lumpectomy.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Why not?

Because it's Mr Kramberries (and he's being a wise guy).

Carry on.

 

[DebbieB]

Because it's Mr Kramberries (and he's being a wise guy).

Carry on.

For that, he should have another area squeezed between the plates.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

For that, he should have another area squeezed between the plates.

Agreed. That or his camera.

 

[emer95]

I was 28, and it was because I had a lump (cyst). I just had my 2nd mammo at 35. They're not nearly as scary as you'd think. Good luck!

 

[Carly_Roach]

Mid-40s and I still haven't had one. Probably never will.

Because it's Mr Kramberries (and he's being a wise guy).

Carry on.

LOL!! Good one.

However, I agree with Mr. Kramberries and I am Mrs. Roach. I'm also in my 40's, haven't had one and will likely never get one.

I also have a personal belief that the breast cancer rates went up astronomically once the mammograms started not because BC was being found more often, but because it was the machines themselves that were giving women breast cancer. Sure, that may sound backward and ignorant to those of you who've been conditioned to believe what the medical industry has fed you, but it works for me. I'm as healthy as a horse and severely limit how many gamma rays go through this body.

While I'm sure this will trigger many people telling me I'm stupid, ignorant, and am going to die young because I'm not doing what the medical industry tells me I should do, I think I'll stick with what works.

BTW, to the OP: if you believe that because you have BC in your family gene then you're going to get it, and starting your mammogram series at 20 and doing that every year for the rest of your life will somehow protect you, then by all means allow your parent/grandparents to pay for the screening. It's your life. Personally, I'm glad I'm not going to be pressured into doing this kind of thing because my friends and family believe pretty much the same thing: the medical industry does more harm than good because they want to make money. When we have no money for them to make, suddenly all these necessary tests become 'unnecessary'.

 

[Feralpeg]

My DD was 19. Since then, she had one at age 21.

I had breast cancer at age 31. The doctor did not want to take any chances. By the way, our insurance covered it. The doctor just needs to indicate that the test is necessary due to a strong family history of breast cancer.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Do it!!!! You have family history and that's enough to have it done.

My friend and teacher at the boys school is 30 (just turned 30) and had invasive breast cancer with no family history. She had a double mastectomy, chemo and radiation. Her treatments were for over a year and it was hell on wheels.