With the impending onset of the Menopause, I decided to get my physical health checked up, as well as continuing to work on my mental attitude with a Counsellor.I booked an appointment to have my breasts examined at our local specialist Unit, which runs on a charitable basis outside the NHS.I've been having this done on and off since I was 20.The nurse manually palpates your tissue to check for lumps and shows you how to do so correctly for yourself each month.If she finds anything untoward, you will be referred for a mammogram.This time, I was told that Unit policy now says that women under 50 should have a mammogram every year and those over 50 every other year.I last had one of these torturous tests over five years ago when I had a lump under my armpit.This turned out to be a hormonal reaction by my breast tissue and the pain and size of the lump in the second half of every month was regulated by using Starflower or Evening Primrose Oil which contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA).You can imagine that I was not terribly enthusiastic about being told that I had to repeat the process when I didn't actually have a problem, especially as I was concerned about the risks of radiation exposure.Since that last unpleasant experience, when my breast was squashed until it resembled a pitta bread and then squeezed between two plates like a piece of laundry being mangled, the quality of the specialist performing the mammograms and the improvement in machinery had increased dramatically.As a result, it was a relatively pain free experience.Two films were taken of each breast, one from the front and one from the side.The view from two angles increases the chance of detection by 25% and I'm relieved to say that all came back clear.However, I'm still not sure whether I like the idea of one of these tests every year until I'm 50 and then every other year thereafter, so I will continue to examine myself regularly and give it some more thought so that I am more prepared when they call me back again next year.The national policy for the UK is a mammogram every three years for women over 50.The problem is that having a mammogram every three years means that there is more of a risk that cancer could develop in between tests.However, being screened annually equates to exposing the woman to three times the amount of radiation as well as trebling the costs to the NHS.Some studies have found a slight increase in the number of breast cancers detected in women who have annual screening but, because more women are now attending, this skews the figures so more research is needed in this area.Addressing the issue of radiation, a mammogram is a type of X-ray and so you will be exposed to a small amount of this toxic substance.However, scientists have worked out that there is less than a 1 in 25,000 risk of a mammogram causing breast cancer.According to Cancer Research UK, for every 1000 women screened, about 7 breast cancers will be found and these cancers are normally at an earlier stage when it is more likely to be curable.The consensus of doctors and researchers generally is that the benefits of finding breast cancer early far outweigh the small risk of radiation from the mammograms used to detect them.There is currently little evidence that regular mammograms for women under the age of 47 can prevent death from breast cancer because their breast tissue is denser and so more difficult to read.My screening was part of a UK trial offering yearly mammograms to women from the age of 40 or 41.Early analysis of this data shows that they do pick up some cancers in these younger women but it is not possible to say for sure whether this will save more lives because the results of this research will not be available for many years.Records show that, of the 1.7 million women who took part in the UK screening programme in 2004/2005, only (5%) were recalled for more tests.If there is the slightest doubt about your mammogram, but no real sign of cancer, you will be asked to come back for another screening after six months or a year and three out of every 100 women who have a second mammogram need to have further tests.It is important to make sure that you know how your breasts normally look and feel, even if you are having mammograms regularly.Most breast cancers are still found by women themselves because cancers can show up between mammograms.This is known as an 'interval cancer'.If you notice any lumps or symptoms that could be due to breast cancer, don't wait until your next mammogram.See your GP straight away.This article may be reproduced providing a hard link to the sites in the resource box is maintained.
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