The LOOK of Second Class Citizenship

For the last 20 years the medical guidelines have been that once you reach the age of 40, women should begin to have regular mammograms. At 18 years of age I had my first mammogram. I had just had a physical a couple of weeks before and my doctor gave me a plastic door hanger type card that I could hang from the shower head and showed how to do self check breast exams. One day I decided to practice what I had been depicted on the card. I was looking at myself in the mirror and noticed an abnormality, at least for me, with my breasts; one was larger than the other, noticeably so to me and I was freaking out. In order to calm me down, my mother placed a call to my doctor and an appointment with an ob/gyn was scheduled. At the age of 18 I had my first mammogram and while no lump was discovered, what the mammogram showed was that I had  Fibrocystic Breast Condition. This is a condition that can sometimes lead to an increase in having breast cancer and one that is not normally detected in women until they turn 30. 


No mammograms until the age of 50!


Discontinue teaching of the breast self exam!


The headlines have been screaming for the last couple of days about the recent US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation would have prevented this condition from being detected and my doctor taking a more proactive approach to my care.




The report recommends that women between the ages of 40 – 49 should not get routine mammograms for early detection. Women ages 50 – 74 should only have them every 2 years. The task force also recommends against teaching breast self-exams for all women and said evidence was insufficient to recommend mammograms for women older than 74.


"The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force is a panel of primary care clinicians (e.g., internists, pediatricians, family physicians, gynecologists/obstetricians, and nurses). Individual members' interests include: decision modeling and evaluation; effectiveness in clinical preventive medicine; clinical epidemiology; the prevention of high-risk behaviors in adolescents; geriatrics; and the prevention of disability in the elderly."


This report could not be more detrimental to women every where. I am 40 years old. I have been having mammograms since I was 18 years old. I have heavy breasts and have been diagnosed with fibrocystic breast condition in both breasts. I have never had a major lump or tumor but preventive care has played an enormous role in this process.  


My mammograms have not only given a peace of mind but have also provided me with the information without detection it could possibly matasticize into a hard mass. I know what drinks (with caffeine) to avoid and what foods to eat and not eat in order to ensure that I continue my proactive self care.


My issue is not so much with this report. I believe we are at an age where more women will self advocate for these services. My issue is that as women, we seem to always get the short end of the stick. This is the information that women who are reluctant to have mammograms will use to not have them and avoid getting check ups.


This is not self-victimization post.


As women, we tend to put self care last because we are always looking out for everyone else. As this report was made public, a huge group of girlfriends and I got into a heated email discussion about this very subject. Some are survivors of breast and cervical cancer. For them early detection is what has given them a chance to continue to live life. The rest of us have never experienced any form of cancer but we are concerned and angred by this report none the less.


Second class citizenship or treatment with respect to women is not acceptable.


The report does not make sense. We have living proof in front of us that early detection works and should be encouraged. Waiting is not an option.


Women matter, our lives matter.