I already know I have dense breast but doctors continue to send me for a mammogram - for nothing! They won't just send you for the ultrasound. The problem is insurance companies.
I asked for an MRI, but had to settle for an ultrasound. My doc said they could only do an US or MRI if there were issues with my regular mammogram. Well, how can you see issues if my breast are dense?
If a doctor says its medically necessary, the insurance company will approve it. You have to push and push the doctors. Get it written in your chart that the doctor is refusing additional testing even though there is an increase in risk because of density.
The best breast screening I had was at NW Hospital that started with an Ultrasound then if you needed a mammogram they took it. Living now on the east coast protocols are different. No ultrasound and directly to the mammogram machine. Just the mammogram alone can cause excess radiation to be stored in the breast tissues thus causing cancer. We should all be given ultrasounds first then instead of a mammogram an MRI of our breast tissues. If a female does come back positive for cancer you must get an MRI after a mammogram. You wouldn’t put a man’s family jewels in a mammogram machine then why are they still doing it to us women. You’re right it’s all about the reimbursement money from the insurance companies. It’s just like breast healthcare should be combined with OBGYN services. You go in first for your pap then you should have an ultrasound of breast tissues at the same visit with the appropriate provider.
Wonder how long we will have to wait for Congress to decide if insurance companies be required to pay for additional tests? So how about we go at this at once. Make it a mammogram with ultra sound for all. What always gets me is that little blue pill got top priority for men. Women are still neglected in health issues!
Mammograms must be cheaper. Quicker to train tech? Quicker to do mammo? Easier to read mammo? Something tells me it has to do with money & the rich getting richer at our expense
Knowing it and not being able to get additional screening beyond a basic mammogram isn't helpful. I've known I have dense breast tissue for over 15 years and still must "hope for the best".
If you want an ultrasound, you can get one. You just need to find an independent radiology office in your area that provides this service. I found one in my area by searching online. You usually can just make an appointment and pay upfront without having any doctor’s order if you can’t get your doctor to order one. Where I go the cost for an ultrasound is $150, including the fee for the reading by the radiologist and the report. I receive the report via email within a couple of days. I figured out a long time ago that you have to take matters into your own hands in order to get the services you want.
So why do they expose women with very dense breast tissue to radiation with a mammogram if radiologists can't see anything? Is it helpful at all? If no, I would just want to do the ultrasound. They should clarify this for women.
I had both ordered at 33 and the ultrasound tech tried talking me out of it. Stating it wasn’t necessary, I, (being a medical professional too) left and got a second opinion, and also found different dr AND mammogram/ultrasound location. These folks will say whatever and then also boohoo when you’re close to death or end up passing due to lackluster standards.
@@NubianQueen8 and why would they try to talk you out of it? You were already there, and it takes 5 minutes with no risk. It's crazy how far people will go to keep us from taking care of ourselves. I'm so glad you took power over your health and fought for better care!
The problem is the crap insurance not.considerimg our dense breast as preventative care and not.coverimg the outrageous price gouging mri costs. Literally, cheaper to get breast cancer. Ridiculous
My boss had bad, sharp back pain last year. They thought it was a bad disc but it ended up being breast cancer that had spread. We have great insurance, so she always had the more expensive 3d mammograms done, but it still wasn’t caught. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and had to use a wheelchair just 3 weeks after diagnosis. Unfortunately she didn’t make it. Early detection is key.
@auburnjewels2 Clearly, you have no clue. This issue is real. Positive outcomes result with early diagnosis and treatment. Shame on you. Awareness needs to be raised in this regard, not stifled by people, especially women.
Don’t wait to get your appointment too. Here in Boston I have to wait about 3 months to get an appointment for a mammogram. It’s always been a couple of weeks. After the pandemic people who work in all levels of medical care have retired or quit. Don’t wait to make an appointment for anything health related. ❤❤❤
Why don't they just have women do ultrasounds and CT scans since that is what doctors end up wanting to do anyway? Why put women through that mammogram experience. If something is detected they always want to do Ultrasound, CT Scan, PET scan or MRI anyway
What difference does it make when simply identifying ‘dense tissue’ is all FDA is willing to do if (a) there was no mandate for insurance companies to cover subsequent scans, MRIs, etc; and (b) the guidance to clinicians hasn’t been provided to educate them any further to help partner with patients to advocate for subsequent tests, procedures? When asked about this FDA news, the doctors simply dismiss us by stating “well every patient has dense breast tissue”. It took decades for women to get corrected information on menopause after that disastrous WHI that misinformed women, would we need to wait for decades for proper guidance and action? Do these legislators not have sisters, moms, wives, nieces, … around them to hear of our plight first hand? The media could also help us spread the concern and continue to ask the tough questions of these legislators. When will this get the urgency it deserves for a swift end-to-end action?!!! 😡
I think if the doctor who examines the dense tissue mammogram recommends it, the insurance will pre authorize the sonogram, because I've had a few following mammograms. Perhaps it depends on the insurance.
You are right, I am a Man, I have a Mom, Wife, Sister, and others I care about. There are better scans out there, Koning Breast CT and Delphinus Ultrasound. please Google them and then raise HELL
My insurance won't cover the digital mammogram and ultrasound, I had to pay a thousand dollars out of pocket last year. We can't afford thousand dollar tests every single year. Something more needs to be done. Womens health is still being ignored.
In 2006, I had a subcutaneous bilateral mastectomy because I had fibrous breast tissue and, a forward thinking, proactive gynecologist. I was 41 and received a letter from the radiologist stating he could not be responsible for reading my mammogram due to how dense they were. I am thankful to my doctor and hope for more doctors like him.
Mammograms don't make sense to me if they can't even detect 100 percent of the time. If someone has a tumor and you are smashing and crushing the breast tissue it seems dangerous...like the cells of the tumor could get smashed a bit and released in surrounding tissue. Ultrasound and MRI should be standard.
Out-of-pocket… Because of course my PPO insurance that I pay a fortune for will not pay for it… I have been getting ultrasounds for years. Every time I go to my regular doctors at California University Medical Institutions I am always told that a mammogram is the definitive test to detect breast cancer and they warn me that I should be getting them instead of Ultra Sounds. Of course it’s interesting now to see that really it IS the very sensitive ultrasounds that I have been getting that is the better test. Hopefully the FDA will approve the extra screening ultrasounds for all women who need it. BTW… I do not have dense breast, but I do have saline implants that I do not want popped in a mammogram machine. So far so good with these ultrasounds. But it would be nice if my insurance would f😡🤬king pay for it.
My Doctor refused to give me HRT until I had an annual mammogram... even though my previous mammograms were inconclusive due to density. Sounds like another medical revenue scheme. I refuse to keep enduring a test that has no benefit. I fired my doctor.
Good for you. I recommend BHRT in topical cream and physiological dosing. Check out: Women's Hormone Network and fixaflash. Density occurs as our hormones decrease; replacement and low carb diet leading to consistent insulin sensitivity, are the best preventives. I do no mammograms at all. I have low fasting insulin. I have no fear of cancer.
Its health care, you are gambling you are messing with it. Good luck with the squeezing and yearly radiation. If you don't have a problem you will soon find one.
Because American insurance mostly just exists for them to squeeze as much money out of people as possible and for the least amount of care as possible. Insurance companies need to have everyone in charge there fired and sent to prison plus get hefty fines for ruining peoples lives and being responsible for some peoples deaths! Then the insurance companies need to be completely redesigned and be held to the strictest standards!
You have to lean into it. When you hold the handles and they start to compress, plant your legs so you can lean into the machine. So many women just stand like normal, and when they start to compress, start to pull away. This pulls the tissue even more, making it more painful.
I'm convinced the whole pancake you until you are in agony thing makes the tissue react. It took 2 weeks for the stabbing pains to go away and I ended up with an abscess. Never again!
@@SewingBoxDesigns sorry to hear that. yeah, it’s painful. I had a skin tear 8 inches long from the tech being rough. I’m 44 in the USA, in the UK they don’t even screen until 50, I don’t want to have one yearly if not needed.
I was denied MRI testing, even though they knew I had dense breast tissue. Sure enough, I ended up with a very deadly form of breast cancer. They did the MRI only after the mammo showed the cancer and it was much more correct at what ended up being the final quantity of cancer in there.
I see it in the future where women will start class action lawsuits. I don't understand the FDA and the medical profession. We know that mammograms have a hard time with finding cancer in dense breast tissue. We know that compression causes pain and can be an aversion for not getting tested. We need better testing and it is here. Delphinus Ultrasound, QT Ultrasound, Koning Breast CT, and Izoview Breast CT All of these use a bed that you lay on, are compression free and deliver a true 360 degree view. The problem is the FDA only gives these companies partial approval and adoption by clinics is slow. Koning so far has more locations but in many cases you pay out of pocket $300 to $600 dollars. Not a bad price but add in travel costs and that excludes many women. Also, Please look up these companies on the internet. Tell your loved ones and friends to demand better medical care.
I did my mammogram and heard that I had dense breast, and that they saw something in my left breast. They told me all of this information BEFORE I even left the mammogram appointment. It was pretty scary. Thankfully, the growth was benign.
This is extremely important for women -- and their doctors -- to know!!! Healthcare based on for-profit focus rather negatively effects women's access and coverage both at the hospitals and with their insurance plans. Healthcare should be a human right in these modern times.
American women have to ask for - sometimes insist on - local anesthetic for procedures like cervical biopsy or IUD insertion. And we often don't know if our insurance will cover that anesthetic.
@@beth8775 are you serious?! 😱 these doctors are still following ‘the rule’ that a woman’s uterus doesn’t have nerve ends so that means that things don’t hurt. My god, they still live in the Middle Ages. Before my (male!) gynaecologist inserted my IUD he asked if I wanted local anaesthetic. Yes please 🙏 But on the other hand, I don’t have to worry about insurance. In my country it is obligated to have a basic health insurance. The government decides what’s in this insurance. Like GP, specialists in hospitals, prenatal care. Every person can decide for themselves if they want to expand the insurance. But I do have to say, nothing is perfect. The insurance companies decide what they do with the insurances and how much you have to pay. There are companies who will pay a lot for dental care, but with the condition that you are 100% healthy. Nevertheless, our basic insurance covers a lot. I’m curious: how much do you have to pay for medical insurance in the US?
@@Art_by_Nicole Yes, for real. I speak from experience. Insurance costs vary wildly depending on your employer's premium contribution, which insurance company, if you are also covering a spouse &/or children, and what type of coverage plan you choose. $100 a month out of your paycheck is the lower end for one person, a family can be over $500 a month.
Yes everytime i have to go get a mammogram and then they have to recommend me for an ultrasound, so that's 3 appointments every single time, even when I say they will just do the mammogram and then tell me to come back for an ultrasound. So i put it off and put it off. Who wants to take all that time for what should be just one, 30 minute appointment. That would be over half my sick time at my job!
Search QT Imaging... It's a relatively new, FDA-approved ultrasound scan that's safe and more accurate than mammograms. No radiation, no gadolinium. New locations popping up with increased funding.
I've been getting these for a number of years, starting at a young age. My facility always does a wonderful job and they are so kind. I know some women stop mammagrams at a certain age. They just didn't want to be aggravated, their body their right. I have to be checked the end of this month. God Bless Everyone!💕💖💕
It is about Breast Density and that makes it a problem for mammograms to see cancer in Dense body tissue. The other issue is the compression of the breast can cause pain and hide cancer in the overlapping areas.
Mammography is an 8 BILLION DOLLAR business here in the US. Ultrasound and digital breast tomosynthesis are effective, with targeted biopsy if necessary. Still no emphasis on prevention - under eating, weight control, keto, fasting, cut out sugar, nutrition genome study(don’t need doctors order), integrative holistic metabolic care, walking, don’t smoke, cut out processed foods. But of course a healthy lifestyle is NOT an 8 BILLION DOLLAR medical business.
And as you may know age increases the risk and that's because of hormone changes too. The number of children you have etc. I agree with the proactive part but nobody can go backwards in time. Not even a Cancer Oncologist who had BC that I personally know.
I don't do either. I;m insulin sensitive (I eat very little carb, no junk ever, no SAD ever) which is the best preventive. All cancers are highly associated with insulin resistance.
Having patients be notified about having dense breast tissue isn't new. The Hendas Law that made that happen passed in 2011. Not recently. And yes, I've been a mammographer for 25 years so I know what I'm talking about. It's odd that they're talking like this is new information. Feel free to look it up.
In NY they use to cover it when Governor Coumo was in office due to his girlfriend being diagnosed with it but both test probably kicked to the curb when he did...
My imaging center has let me know this since my first mammogram a decade ago. I also have a lower than average risk of developing breast cancer compared to other women of my age and race, despite having very dense breast tissue, per my risk assessment (BCRAT) that they have me fill out annually (you can also find the test online). Hope for the best!
Mammograms aren't good enough. We should be testing with ultrasound. I only found out I had two cancers when I went to go live in Canada for a year. Same symptoms I had told US doctors over and over again. Both my parents are doctors, too. But the US does not have preventative medicine. My parents were never trained on preventative medicine. In the US, med schools train doctors to do the cheapest possible thing. Everything else must be ruled out before patients are finally checked for the most costly test. Sometimes, we aren't checked at all because doctors aren't even taught which symptoms might be cancer. If it would cost insurance companies too much, it's not done. US medicine is broken. And doctors don't know any better. I've had a few immigrant doctors who were then retrained in the US. Some of them have been honest with me that US insurance companies simply won't cover what they think is best.
Thank god I was told I have dense breast tissue at 40 and have had ultrasounds along with mammograms every 6 months since….and I don’t have any special insurance. It all depends on who you see and where you go.
Stop getting mammograms, they will give you cancer. Do you not remember how they realized all of these frequent mammograms where actually giving woman cancer? They hushed it up and then quietly changed the recommendation for when and how often woman should get them. If you don't have a family history of breast cancer, then you don't start getting mammograms until 50 and then every other year. It used to be every year starting at 40.
It’s not anyones choice but the physician who orders it. You can’t just GET an ultrasound. You can ask, but these docs ALWAYS only seem to use an ultrasound after what’s considered an abnormal mammogram. Furthermore, most insurances will not even cover an ultrasound, until a mammogram is done. And if it says all is “normal,” you just simply won’t be getting an ultrasound. Some women’s mammograms aren’t even covered!
@WGrind0687 Mammograms and a breast ultrasound are ordered at the same time and can be done on the same day. Breast ultrasounds are cheaper than mammorgrams to insurances will pay for it. If you have doctor that does not order a mammogram and a breast ultrasound at the same time, it's time to switch doctors. There are doctors out there that will give you the script for both to be completed the same day. If you are educated on you having dense breast, you need to tell the doctor that.
I've never sent for additional tests that proved unnecessary so many times it's ridiculous. How is knowledge of breast density helpful? Not a supporter of regulating insurance companies or forcing them to cover additional services. Insurance should include choices for those who want them, but one size fits all policies fit none
No the issue is a Mammogram doesn't see the cancer if it is hidden by the Dense Breast tissue. An estimated 40% to 50% of Women have Dense Breast tissue.
@@stevel9308 Perhaps, then, the issue is relying on another test if cancer isn't going to be visible in that significant a percentage of women. Perhaps breast ultrasound for those with more sense breast tissue? Or at least offering more choices of health insurance policies. I don't believe regulation and forced coverage are the answer. As an example, infertility as a medical condition is forced coverage in my state of residence. All insured in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must have this level of coverage. With that and ACA mandates it's quite expensive to be insured here.
First mammo and I got dense breast.....they notified me right away and had me do another mammo plus ultrasound only to say we'll have to wait 6 months then compare. And I had to pay for the second mammo and ultrasound. Thick family history of breast cancer too. Guess we just have to wait and see.
Scam!!!!!! My doctor’s office does this. They take four basic views and then tell you you need to come in for more views because dense. They used to do extra views as needed at appointment. Now the charge you for the basic for views. Charge you again to come back. Then tell you you need an ultrasound. Then tell you you need a biopsy. All of these were separate appointments. I knew they were scamming me. I saw the ultrasound. 100% a fibroadenoma. He looked me in the eye and told me it was a fibroadenoma yet the report said could be cancer and need biopsy. 100% a scam to get insurance to cover an unnecessary biopsy. In end over $13,000 to be told normal, like I knew from beginning. I won’t be going back. Doctors will cut into you unnecessarily now for money.
All cancers are highly associated with insulin resistance; life style, especially diet, is paramount for prevention. That woman had the "look" of high insulin and glucose. Mammograms have a high incidence of false positive (20 to 50% over ten years). Stop all processed foods, lower carbs to under 50 grams per day, better yet none at all (carbohydrates are not essential). Health authorities all know the aforementioned to be true. Denser breast tissue is a natural result of aging, therefore common in post menopausal women. If any intervention is wanted, then seek BHRT in physiological doses.
I already know I have dense breast but doctors continue to send me for a mammogram - for nothing! They won't just send you for the ultrasound. The problem is insurance companies.
I asked for an MRI, but had to settle for an ultrasound. My doc said they could only do an US or MRI if there were issues with my regular mammogram. Well, how can you see issues if my breast are dense?
If a doctor says its medically necessary, the insurance company will approve it. You have to push and push the doctors. Get it written in your chart that the doctor is refusing additional testing even though there is an increase in risk because of density.
The best breast screening I had was at NW Hospital that started with an Ultrasound then if you needed a mammogram they took it. Living now on the east coast protocols are different. No ultrasound and directly to the mammogram machine. Just the mammogram alone can cause excess radiation to be stored in the breast tissues thus causing cancer. We should all be given ultrasounds first then instead of a mammogram an MRI of our breast tissues. If a female does come back positive for cancer you must get an MRI after a mammogram. You wouldn’t put a man’s family jewels in a mammogram machine then why are they still doing it to us women. You’re right it’s all about the reimbursement money from the insurance companies.
It’s just like breast healthcare should be combined with OBGYN services. You go in first for your pap then you should have an ultrasound of breast tissues at the same visit with the appropriate provider.
Doesn’t the 3D mammogram work ?
I heard that if anyone has dense breast then it would be easier for them to look at with the 3D mammogram
Why can’t you just save up the money and pay out of pocket? If that’s what you believe is needed.
Wonder how long we will have to wait for Congress to decide if insurance companies be required to pay for additional tests? So how about we go at this at once. Make it a mammogram with ultra sound for all. What always gets me is that little blue pill got top priority for men. Women are still neglected in health issues!
👍 Yep, it’s not fair.
Exactly!!! Argh!
Yeah...and men wanting to be girls surgeries are sooo important too, we constantly get thrown under a bus.
MRI is most accurate.
@gracie2298- So true! If any part of a man's anatomy is at risk, it would have been taken care of yesterday.
If ultrasound is more effective, and *not* painful - why do we still do freaking mammograms?!
Exactly
Mammograms must be cheaper. Quicker to train tech? Quicker to do mammo? Easier to read mammo? Something tells me it has to do with money & the rich getting richer at our expense
$$$$$
Exactly. Especially since the cancer could possibly be in the part that doesn't get analyzed.
I know right?! I hate mammograms!!
Knowing it and not being able to get additional screening beyond a basic mammogram isn't helpful. I've known I have dense breast tissue for over 15 years and still must "hope for the best".
Same - many of us have been told this but drs blow it off or it is over $1000 for a follow up.
Same.
try to get your obgyn to get you in with a breast specialist/oncologist. They may can get an MRI paid for.
If you want an ultrasound, you can get one. You just need to find an independent radiology office in your area that provides this service. I found one in my area by searching online. You usually can just make an appointment and pay upfront without having any doctor’s order if you can’t get your doctor to order one. Where I go the cost for an ultrasound is $150, including the fee for the reading by the radiologist and the report. I receive the report via email within a couple of days. I figured out a long time ago that you have to take matters into your own hands in order to get the services you want.
Also, insurance is trash.
Yep
So why do they expose women with very dense breast tissue to radiation with a mammogram if radiologists can't see anything? Is it helpful at all? If no, I would just want to do the ultrasound. They should clarify this for women.
$$$$$$$
I wonder why extra radiation is the path they want women to take to prevent (???) cancer.
Exactly!!
My doctor booked me for a mammogram and an ultrasound on the same day, since she knew I would need one. She's the BEST!
Same here.
I had both ordered at 33 and the ultrasound tech tried talking me out of it. Stating it wasn’t necessary, I, (being a medical professional too) left and got a second opinion, and also found different dr AND mammogram/ultrasound location. These folks will say whatever and then also boohoo when you’re close to death or end up passing due to lackluster standards.
@@NubianQueen8 and why would they try to talk you out of it? You were already there, and it takes 5 minutes with no risk. It's crazy how far people will go to keep us from taking care of ourselves. I'm so glad you took power over your health and fought for better care!
@@malindarayallen no risk ? That is not accurate. If you have a tumor and it is smashed there is absolutely risk involved
The problem is the crap insurance not.considerimg our dense breast as preventative care and not.coverimg the outrageous price gouging mri costs. Literally, cheaper to get breast cancer. Ridiculous
My boss had bad, sharp back pain last year. They thought it was a bad disc but it ended up being breast cancer that had spread. We have great insurance, so she always had the more expensive 3d mammograms done, but it still wasn’t caught. She was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer and had to use a wheelchair just 3 weeks after diagnosis. Unfortunately she didn’t make it. Early detection is key.
Bot
@auburnjewels2
Clearly, you have no clue. This issue is real. Positive outcomes result with early diagnosis and treatment.
Shame on you. Awareness needs to be raised in this regard, not stifled by people, especially women.
@@auburnjewels2 what about my comment makes you think I’m a ‘bot’?
@@lw7210 And if they don't want them?
@@janetmiller2980 Don't get them. It should be the bare minimum, but that doesn't mean it's mandatory.
I always get a letter, the next scan is always out of pocket but as another poster said we got the ED pills for the men!😡
FDA puts the onus on women to handle our own health care. This would never be the case with men’s healthcare
Don’t wait to get your appointment too. Here in Boston I have to wait about 3 months to get an appointment for a mammogram. It’s always been a couple of weeks.
After the pandemic people who work in all levels of medical care have retired or quit. Don’t wait to make an appointment for anything health related. ❤❤❤
Why don't they just have women do ultrasounds and CT scans since that is what doctors end up wanting to do anyway? Why put women through that mammogram experience. If something is detected they always want to do Ultrasound, CT Scan, PET scan or MRI anyway
What difference does it make when simply identifying ‘dense tissue’ is all FDA is willing to do if (a) there was no mandate for insurance companies to cover subsequent scans, MRIs, etc; and (b) the guidance to clinicians hasn’t been provided to educate them any further to help partner with patients to advocate for subsequent tests, procedures? When asked about this FDA news, the doctors simply dismiss us by stating “well every patient has dense breast tissue”. It took decades for women to get corrected information on menopause after that disastrous WHI that misinformed women, would we need to wait for decades for proper guidance and action? Do these legislators not have sisters, moms, wives, nieces, … around them to hear of our plight first hand? The media could also help us spread the concern and continue to ask the tough questions of these legislators. When will this get the urgency it deserves for a swift end-to-end action?!!! 😡
I think if the doctor who examines the dense tissue mammogram recommends it, the insurance will pre authorize the sonogram, because I've had a few following mammograms. Perhaps it depends on the insurance.
You are right, I am a Man, I have a Mom, Wife, Sister, and others I care about. There are better scans out there, Koning Breast CT and Delphinus Ultrasound. please Google them and then raise HELL
My insurance won't cover the digital mammogram and ultrasound, I had to pay a thousand dollars out of pocket last year. We can't afford thousand dollar tests every single year. Something more needs to be done. Womens health is still being ignored.
In 2006, I had a subcutaneous bilateral mastectomy because I had fibrous breast tissue and, a forward thinking, proactive gynecologist. I was 41 and received a letter from the radiologist stating he could not be responsible for reading my mammogram due to how dense they were. I am thankful to my doctor and hope for more doctors like him.
Mammograms don't make sense to me if they can't even detect 100 percent of the time. If someone has a tumor and you are smashing and crushing the breast tissue it seems dangerous...like the cells of the tumor could get smashed a bit and released in surrounding tissue. Ultrasound and MRI should be standard.
Out-of-pocket… Because of course my PPO insurance that I pay a fortune for will not pay for it… I have been getting ultrasounds for years. Every time I go to my regular doctors at California University Medical Institutions I am always told that a mammogram is the definitive test to detect breast cancer and they warn me that I should be getting them instead of Ultra Sounds. Of course it’s interesting now to see that really it IS the very sensitive ultrasounds that I have been getting that is the better test. Hopefully the FDA will approve the extra screening ultrasounds for all women who need it. BTW… I do not have dense breast, but I do have saline implants that I do not want popped in a mammogram machine. So far so good with these ultrasounds. But it would be nice if my insurance would f😡🤬king pay for it.
My Doctor refused to give me HRT until I had an annual mammogram... even though my previous mammograms were inconclusive due to density. Sounds like another medical revenue scheme. I refuse to keep enduring a test that has no benefit. I fired my doctor.
Good for you. I recommend BHRT in topical cream and physiological dosing. Check out: Women's Hormone Network and fixaflash. Density occurs as our hormones decrease; replacement and low carb diet leading to consistent insulin sensitivity, are the best preventives. I do no mammograms at all. I have low fasting insulin. I have no fear of cancer.
Its messed up that insurance companies don't go straight to ultrasound. Radiation from xrays are the culprit
👍
So mammograms are ineffective for dense tissue, and we're told to have mammograms when we have dense tissue
3 d mammograms are recommended for people with dense breast tissue.
Do a sonogram also on the same day
Its health care, you are gambling you are messing with it. Good luck with the squeezing and yearly radiation. If you don't have a problem you will soon find one.
The U.S. is the only country that requires yearly mammograms. Why is that??
My thought EXACTLY!!!🤔🤔🤔
Because American insurance mostly just exists for them to squeeze as much money out of people as possible and for the least amount of care as possible. Insurance companies need to have everyone in charge there fired and sent to prison plus get hefty fines for ruining peoples lives and being responsible for some peoples deaths! Then the insurance companies need to be completely redesigned and be held to the strictest standards!
MONEY!
$$$$$$$$$ no other reason.
Mammogram testing is haphazard and I bet men would gladly change insurance coverage laws if they had to put their stuff in a mammogram machine.
Some men do have to put their breast tissue in the mammogram machine.
I agree and as you will see I am a MAN. Koning Breast CT or Delphinus Ultrasound Compression Free NO pain!
20 to 50% are false positives.
Getting a mammogram is so uncomfortable they need to redesign that machine ….last time it pinched me I was sore for days
I take a couple of Tylenol before I go to the appointment and it helps with the soreness.
You have to lean into it. When you hold the handles and they start to compress, plant your legs so you can lean into the machine. So many women just stand like normal, and when they start to compress, start to pull away. This pulls the tissue even more, making it more painful.
I'm so grateful for a health care facility that has practiced this for the last 10 years (give or take a year). I received my snail mail years ago.
The place I went the past 2 times was already doing this and gave me different densities each time, once normal, then dense. Very confusing.
it's like we are supposed to do the job for the doctor and make sure we pay them top dollar for it too!
I'm convinced the whole pancake you until you are in agony thing makes the tissue react. It took 2 weeks for the stabbing pains to go away and I ended up with an abscess. Never again!
@@SewingBoxDesigns sorry to hear that. yeah, it’s painful. I had a skin tear 8 inches long from the tech being rough. I’m 44 in the USA, in the UK they don’t even screen until 50, I don’t want to have one yearly if not needed.
and false positives are in the 20 to 50 percentile.
I was denied MRI testing, even though they knew I had dense breast tissue. Sure enough, I ended up with a very deadly form of breast cancer. They did the MRI only after the mammo showed the cancer and it was much more correct at what ended up being the final quantity of cancer in there.
I see it in the future where women will start class action lawsuits. I don't understand the FDA and the medical profession. We know that mammograms have a hard time with finding cancer in dense breast tissue. We know that compression causes pain and can be an aversion for not getting tested. We need better testing and it is here. Delphinus Ultrasound, QT Ultrasound, Koning Breast CT, and Izoview Breast CT All of these use a bed that you lay on, are compression free and deliver a true 360 degree view. The problem is the FDA only gives these companies partial approval and adoption by clinics is slow. Koning so far has more locations but in many cases you pay out of pocket $300 to $600 dollars. Not a bad price but add in travel costs and that excludes many women. Also, Please look up these companies on the internet. Tell your loved ones and friends to demand better medical care.
I did my mammogram and heard that I had dense breast, and that they saw something in my left breast. They told me all of this information BEFORE I even left the mammogram appointment. It was pretty scary. Thankfully, the growth was benign.
I'm in this predicament and will insurance pay for the extra tests? Time to change breast exam procedures.
This is extremely important for women -- and their doctors -- to know!!! Healthcare based on for-profit focus rather negatively effects women's access and coverage both at the hospitals and with their insurance plans. Healthcare should be a human right in these modern times.
How do we get insurance to let us get screening on top of the simple mammogram?
Every time I hear medical news from the States I am so amazed why this wasn’t available already 😮 :(
Health insurance in America is a joke...for profit companies
American women have to ask for - sometimes insist on - local anesthetic for procedures like cervical biopsy or IUD insertion. And we often don't know if our insurance will cover that anesthetic.
@@beth8775I got my IUD put in with no anesthetic. I had no idea you could get one! And I really could have used it!
@@beth8775 are you serious?! 😱 these doctors are still following ‘the rule’ that a woman’s uterus doesn’t have nerve ends so that means that things don’t hurt. My god, they still live in the Middle Ages.
Before my (male!) gynaecologist inserted my IUD he asked if I wanted local anaesthetic. Yes please 🙏
But on the other hand, I don’t have to worry about insurance. In my country it is obligated to have a basic health insurance. The government decides what’s in this insurance. Like GP, specialists in hospitals, prenatal care. Every person can decide for themselves if they want to expand the insurance.
But I do have to say, nothing is perfect. The insurance companies decide what they do with the insurances and how much you have to pay. There are companies who will pay a lot for dental care, but with the condition that you are 100% healthy.
Nevertheless, our basic insurance covers a lot.
I’m curious: how much do you have to pay for medical insurance in the US?
@@Art_by_Nicole Yes, for real. I speak from experience.
Insurance costs vary wildly depending on your employer's premium contribution, which insurance company, if you are also covering a spouse &/or children, and what type of coverage plan you choose. $100 a month out of your paycheck is the lower end for one person, a family can be over $500 a month.
Using radiation to find out if u have cancer by smashing the tissue , what could go wrong ? Use thermograms
Also, Thermograms have issues. Some cancers are not a solid lump, Lobular for example. Heat signature is not always reliable.
Yes everytime i have to go get a mammogram and then they have to recommend me for an ultrasound, so that's 3 appointments every single time, even when I say they will just do the mammogram and then tell me to come back for an ultrasound. So i put it off and put it off. Who wants to take all that time for what should be just one, 30 minute appointment. That would be over half my sick time at my job!
We need a lower radiation form of diagnostics besides mammography.
Search QT Imaging... It's a relatively new, FDA-approved ultrasound scan that's safe and more accurate than mammograms. No radiation, no gadolinium. New locations popping up with increased funding.
Delphinus Ultrasound Dedicated Breast scan or Koning CT Breast scanner
@@thirdeyeopen9884 Two other Breast CT companies. AB CT is made in Germany. Izotrophic Corp from Canada is coming to market with Izoview breast CT.
I've been getting these for a number of years, starting at a young age. My facility always does a wonderful job and they are so kind. I know some women stop mammagrams at a certain age. They just didn't want to be aggravated, their body their right. I have to be checked the end of this month. God Bless Everyone!💕💖💕
It is about Breast Density and that makes it a problem for mammograms to see cancer in Dense body tissue. The other issue is the compression of the breast can cause pain and hide cancer in the overlapping areas.
Mammography is an 8 BILLION DOLLAR business here in the US. Ultrasound and digital breast tomosynthesis are effective, with targeted biopsy if necessary. Still no emphasis on prevention - under eating, weight control, keto, fasting, cut out sugar, nutrition genome study(don’t need doctors order), integrative holistic metabolic care, walking, don’t smoke, cut out processed foods. But of course a healthy lifestyle is NOT an 8 BILLION DOLLAR medical business.
And as you may know age increases the risk and that's because of hormone changes too. The number of children you have etc. I agree with the proactive part but nobody can go backwards in time. Not even a Cancer Oncologist who had BC that I personally know.
Thermography can catch areas of concern earlier but they do nothing to make this option known.
Thermography. Look what people have to say about it, NOT google. I don’t go near radiation or pretty much anything in the broken “healthcare” system.
You go out in the Sun I bet.
@@stevel9308 actually sunshine is essential in the conversion of vitamin D which is not a vitamin but a pro-hormone. Stop being fearful.
I don't do either. I;m insulin sensitive (I eat very little carb, no junk ever, no SAD ever) which is the best preventive. All cancers are highly associated with insulin resistance.
Having patients be notified about having dense breast tissue isn't new. The Hendas Law that made that happen passed in 2011. Not recently. And yes, I've been a mammographer for 25 years so I know what I'm talking about. It's odd that they're talking like this is new information. Feel free to look it up.
In your experience as a mammographer, do you see a difference in modes of imaging whatsoever, as far as dense tissue vs non-dense tissue?
Why weren't you informed? It was a state by state system of laws until the new Federal Requirements were put in place on September 10th 2024
Thank you for sharing this important information.
In NY they use to cover it when Governor Coumo was in office due to his girlfriend being diagnosed with it but both test probably kicked to the curb when he did...
Thank you👍🏼
My imaging center has let me know this since my first mammogram a decade ago. I also have a lower than average risk of developing breast cancer compared to other women of my age and race, despite having very dense breast tissue, per my risk assessment (BCRAT) that they have me fill out annually (you can also find the test online). Hope for the best!
So we need something other than a mammogram. You may now stop charging us for zero information and no help.
I had a mammogram once. Once.
Think I'll let cancer take me if it must...
You should see about an Automated Ultrasound QT or Delphinus, The other one is Breast CT by Koning Health. Use your favorite search engine.
Be careful what you say. Have you seen someone die from cancer? I have.
@@stevel9308 Yes. I'm very familiar. Have you ever had a mammogram?
It's about time! I always have to fight for extra imaging!
New Federal FDA requirements in place 09/10/2024
Mammograms aren't good enough.
We should be testing with ultrasound.
I only found out I had two cancers when I went to go live in Canada for a year.
Same symptoms I had told US doctors over and over again. Both my parents are doctors, too.
But the US does not have preventative medicine. My parents were never trained on preventative medicine.
In the US, med schools train doctors to do the cheapest possible thing. Everything else must be ruled out before patients are finally checked for the most costly test.
Sometimes, we aren't checked at all because doctors aren't even taught which symptoms might be cancer.
If it would cost insurance companies too much, it's not done.
US medicine is broken. And doctors don't know any better.
I've had a few immigrant doctors who were then retrained in the US. Some of them have been honest with me that US insurance companies simply won't cover what they think is best.
Thank god I was told I have dense breast tissue at 40 and have had ultrasounds along with mammograms every 6 months since….and I don’t have any special insurance. It all depends on who you see and where you go.
Stop getting mammograms, they will give you cancer. Do you not remember how they realized all of these frequent mammograms where actually giving woman cancer? They hushed it up and then quietly changed the recommendation for when and how often woman should get them. If you don't have a family history of breast cancer, then you don't start getting mammograms until 50 and then every other year. It used to be every year starting at 40.
Always have a breast ultrasound with your mammogram
Ppl don't want to have a mammogram in the first place
It’s not anyones choice but the physician who orders it. You can’t just GET an ultrasound. You can ask, but these docs ALWAYS only seem to use an ultrasound after what’s considered an abnormal mammogram. Furthermore, most insurances will not even cover an ultrasound, until a mammogram is done. And if it says all is “normal,” you just simply won’t be getting an ultrasound. Some women’s mammograms aren’t even covered!
@WGrind0687 Mammograms and a breast ultrasound are ordered at the same time and can be done on the same day. Breast ultrasounds are cheaper than mammorgrams to insurances will pay for it. If you have doctor that does not order a mammogram and a breast ultrasound at the same time, it's time to switch doctors. There are doctors out there that will give you the script for both to be completed the same day. If you are educated on you having dense breast, you need to tell the doctor that.
How much radiation is there during a mammogram?
A lot!
The X-rays are causing a lot of it to increase. MRIs are much much safer but they refuse to use ultrasound.
I've never sent for additional tests that proved unnecessary so many times it's ridiculous. How is knowledge of breast density helpful?
Not a supporter of regulating insurance companies or forcing them to cover additional services. Insurance should include choices for those who want them, but one size fits all policies fit none
No the issue is a Mammogram doesn't see the cancer if it is hidden by the Dense Breast tissue. An estimated 40% to 50% of Women have Dense Breast tissue.
@@stevel9308 Perhaps, then, the issue is relying on another test if cancer isn't going to be visible in that significant a percentage of women. Perhaps breast ultrasound for those with more sense breast tissue?
Or at least offering more choices of health insurance policies. I don't believe regulation and forced coverage are the answer.
As an example, infertility as a medical condition is forced coverage in my state of residence. All insured in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts must have this level of coverage. With that and ACA mandates it's quite expensive to be insured here.
@@janetmiller2980 There are other newer tests. Koning CT and Delphinus Ultrasound
I’m lucky. My insurance allows for regular MRIs because of my sense breast tissue.
Did anyone get an mri? Ive got focal asymmetry. im afraid they will make me get a biospsy....
Then women ( like me) should be covered for breast MRI annually.
Why do women let this utter disregard for our health continue on like this?
Seems like no one fights back anymore.
First mammo and I got dense breast.....they notified me right away and had me do another mammo plus ultrasound only to say we'll have to wait 6 months then compare. And I had to pay for the second mammo and ultrasound. Thick family history of breast cancer too. Guess we just have to wait and see.
With the new law contact your State Insurance Commissioner office.
How do you not know ?? I have dense breast and was told to me from my first mammogram and I do both mammogram and sonogram I'm 57
Scam!!!!!! My doctor’s office does this. They take four basic views and then tell you you need to come in for more views because dense. They used to do extra views as needed at appointment. Now the charge you for the basic for views. Charge you again to come back. Then tell you you need an ultrasound. Then tell you you need a biopsy. All of these were separate appointments. I knew they were scamming me. I saw the ultrasound. 100% a fibroadenoma. He looked me in the eye and told me it was a fibroadenoma yet the report said could be cancer and need biopsy. 100% a scam to get insurance to cover an unnecessary biopsy. In end over $13,000 to be told normal, like I knew from beginning. I won’t be going back. Doctors will cut into you unnecessarily now for money.
Right, find a new Dr. and Clinic. Get your records first.
All cancers are highly associated with insulin resistance; life style, especially diet, is paramount for prevention. That woman had the "look" of high insulin and glucose. Mammograms have a high incidence of false positive (20 to 50% over ten years). Stop all processed foods, lower carbs to under 50 grams per day, better yet none at all (carbohydrates are not essential). Health authorities all know the aforementioned to be true. Denser breast tissue is a natural result of aging, therefore common in post menopausal women. If any intervention is wanted, then seek BHRT in physiological doses.
We have third world healthcare
You ever noticed how folks aren't sick until they're told they are? Her tumor could have sat there unknown, I bet.
And wait for what? It will grow! Find it early! Recovery chances are better and the cost is a fraction when treated early.
I’m done with all of it.
Who trusts doctors after 2020?????😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Not Me!!!
I didn't trust 'em before then. All crooks who want to cut you up. Thanks but no thanks.
All the sane people who didn’t spend pandemic consuming Russian misinformation on Facebook. Also the majority of people.
Hallelujah
About time.
🙏🏼🙏🏼🙏🏼💖💖💝
Mammograms are dang
I'm a hysterical white woman, why wont you believe I'm the victim, wah
Felice Gersh, MD: ua-cam.com/video/OlrDn8HxijE/v-deo.html
How about looking at your diet first?
:/ it is such a sacrifice to eat healthy lol
Point 1. Diet isn't the only factor. Point 2. You can't go back in time. Point 3. That remark is an A hole comment.
Certain cancers are INHERITED.
.......why not just get breast ultrasounds to start???