A government task force has released new guidelines for mammograms. Instead of the annual mammogram from the age of 40 that is currently in effect, the task force recommends that women don't start getting mammograms until the age of 50 and then only every other year. They also said that breast self-exams don't work and shouldn't even be taught to women. As a person who has personally known women who survived breast cancer as well as one who has had close friends and even my own grandmother die after a breast cancer diagnosis, this is an outrage to me. My biggest concern is that, if insurance companies follow these guidelines, they won't cover the cost of mammograms for women under 50 if they choose to be proactive about early detection. Further, if women ages 50 and older decide they want an annual mammogram instead of one every other year, will insurance companies cover that?
The key to survival of breast cancer is early detection. I know of several women who detected a lump that didn't show up on their annual mammogram but was instead found during their monthly self-exam. So, the idea that self-exams do absolutely no good is ludicrous to me. Some of the more famous women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer and survived include Olivia Newton-John, Sheryl Crow, Melissa Ethridge, Edie Falco, Ann Jillian (all in their 40s when they were diagnosed) and Christina Applegate (who was 36 when she was diagnosed). They would not have been so fortunate for early detection if they had followed these new guidelines.
Are the new guidelines for mammograms really a way for insurance companies to save money or are they an honest look at what works best? You will have to be the judge. But answer this question for me. Are you willing to gamble the life of your mother, sister, wife, cousin, daughter, granddaughter or friend?
Comments(14)