I saw something on social media the other day and it inspired me to write this.
In the UK women get invited to attend routine mammogram screenings from the age of 50 (or younger if at high risk of developing breast cancer) until 71. Women in Spain get invited for mammograms from age 40. I think women under 50 should also be invited to routine appointments to get their breasts checked.
Now, I know women are told to regularly check their breasts for abnormalities - I researched and "Almost half (47%) of women in the UK do not check their breasts regularly for potential signs of breast cancer." which is crazy! - and to go to the doctors and have their breasts checked if they notice anything abnormal. While I recommend women do continue to frequently check their breasts and make an appointment if something doesn't seem right, I think sometimes a woman might think something is normal or miss something and if all women (over 25 or something) had routine appointments/checks with a doctor then at least you'd have that extra peace of mind. "Just over 10,000 women are diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 every year in the UK. Of these, around 7,600 women will be in their 40s. Around 2,300 women in the UK are diagnosed aged 39 or under, or just 4% of all cases." I feel like a simple appointment every certain amount of years might help a young woman get an early diagnosis or at least help women be rest assured they don't have breast cancer.
I know it can be damaging for women under a certain age to have mammogram's but there are other checks I think could be routine for women under 50, ultrasounds or even just a doctor checking instead of you just doing it. Women get routine smear tests from 25 onwards, so why not breast screenings too? I know a smear test is probably more of a necessity as you can't check yourself and you can check your breasts yourself, but I feel like they should both be routine for women. I'd rather be safe than sorry. Don't get me wrong it can be uncomfortable to talk about, for doctors to feel your breasts, to get ultrasounds or mammogram's but surely that bit of discomfort is worth it. To dive into a more personal reason I feel strongly about this, I wasn't comfortable feeling around my own breasts for lumps, but I knew it was so important, and it wasn't long until I discovered a lump, I told my mum and I went to the doctors, I felt so uncomfortable, especially as it was a male doctor. After a few checks it turned out to be nothing to worry about. Since then I've had another lump. To check the second one I had an ultrasound, I was so worried thinking I was having a mammogram and thinking about how it would hurt, but the ultrasound was so easy and painless. Both are non-cancerous and I keep an eye on them, if they hurt or get bigger I was told to have them checked again, I find myself often paranoid about them and want to book an appointment, so I feel like I'd benefit from routine checks.
Sorry about this little rant, I just feel like more could be done about breast cancer in younger women. In my opinion, women should frequently check their breasts and go to the doctors if there's any abnormalities, plus ultrasounds/doctor checks from 25, and then mammogram's from 50 until 71 or before if they are at high risk level of developing breast cancer.
Ladies CHECK YOUR BREASTS, go to your MAMMOGRAM's and attend your SMEAR TESTS too! It's worth it!
[Source for the statistics above
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