I have a question that's been plaguing me for about two years now.
How old should you be when you start getting mammograms? I'm only 15, but, there's no other way to put this, my boobs are HUGE. 32/34 DD (depending on the make of the bra) to be precise. Would it be wise for me to start now even though I'm a little young?
I also heard somewhere that girls with larger breasts are at higher risk. Is that true?
I don't think you need to worry about mammograms regardless until you are at least 20. I'm not a doctor however, and I would encourage you to discuss it with your general doctor. If you're not comfortable with that, make an appointment with an obgyn and ask questions. You can't ever be too careful. I have heard that larger breasts puts you at higher risk too. I am in the same boat as you are. I've got the same size breasts. I try not to be scared or worried. Being aware and catching anything that might come up early will give you a good chance at survival. Not only that, you won't necessarily get it because of your size. Hope this helps. :)
If you do find a lump (and it is possible at a young age), definitely get your doctor to check it out. This happened with me. I found it about the time I was 17 years old. My doctor examined it, concluded that it was probably a fibroadenoma (a non-cancerous lump), and sent me to a women's imaging center at a hospital. They did an ultrasound of my breast and also decided that it was a fibroadenoma.
A year later I went back in for a "check-up," and they performed a second ultrasound. It hadn't gotten bigger, so they told me I shouldn't be concerned about it unless it changed. I could have it removed if I wanted to, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I also don't have any more scheduled check-ups.
Fibroadenomas sometimes happen in young women, but they don't know what the cause of it is. I don't remember if it was more common in women with larger breasts or not. I'm thinking it might possibly be more common in women who developed early, but that is not something I'd take my word for. I'm really not sure. (I'm around a 34D and
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My mom had a fibroadenoma, she's had like 6. Every time she's gotten them removed. Just as a safety precaution. And then they take them to a lab and determine what it really is, and every time, it's just been some kind of fatty corpuscle.
So it's highly likely that I may get them from time to time too. I'll keep an eye out.
I was also diagnosed with fibroadeanomas around the same age. It really scared me because if you normally have lumps anyhow how would I know when to be alarmed. I was turned down for insurance a couple of years later because of it. Still not sure if that was legal but I haven't had any further problems since then.
Most doctors believe that mammograms on young women (even up till the 30s) are a waste of time because young women's breasts are so dense. The image is not good quality and trying to find a lump or calcification is like trying to photograph a white cat in a snowfield.
I'm not sure about the larger breasts = higher BC risk equation. It may make lumps or tumors harder to detect, but I don't think larger size necessarily puts you at greater risk of cancer.
I agree with everything everyone else said. BUT, another thing.. my doctor told me last year (when I was 16) that I should start doing self examinations to check for unusual lumps and to keep track of it. So, I would suggest that to you as well.
Yeah, having larger breasts, being overweight and things like that can make the risk greater.
How old should you be when you start getting mammograms? I'm only 15, but, there's no other way to put this, my boobs are HUGE. 32/34 DD (depending on the make of the bra) to be precise. Would it be wise for me to start now even though I'm a little young?
I also heard somewhere that girls with larger breasts are at higher risk. Is that true?
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A year later I went back in for a "check-up," and they performed a second ultrasound. It hadn't gotten bigger, so they told me I shouldn't be concerned about it unless it changed. I could have it removed if I wanted to, but it isn't absolutely necessary. I also don't have any more scheduled check-ups.
Fibroadenomas sometimes happen in young women, but they don't know what the cause of it is. I don't remember if it was more common in women with larger breasts or not. I'm thinking it might possibly be more common in women who developed early, but that is not something I'd take my word for. I'm really not sure. (I'm around a 34D and ( ... )
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So it's highly likely that I may get them from time to time too. I'll keep an eye out.
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I'm not sure about the larger breasts = higher BC risk equation. It may make lumps or tumors harder to detect, but I don't think larger size necessarily puts you at greater risk of cancer.
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Yeah, having larger breasts, being overweight and things like that can make the risk greater.
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