Connie Pombo

The new guidelines from the USPSTF are a stunning reversal of their own recommendations from 2002 regarding mammography. The politically charged debate has caused quite a stir—not only among politicians—but from men and women across the country.

In case you missed it, the new guidelines are as follows:

*Women ages 40-49 without a family history of breast cancer should not get a mammogram.

*Women ages 50-74 should only get a mammogram every other year.

The new guidelines didn’t bother me as much as their statement regarding self-breast exams. The panel said, “Self-breast exams do no good, and women shouldn’t be taught to do them.” Their theory is “if a woman can feel a lump, it’s too late—the cancer has already spread.”

No wonder women are up in arms! As a former tumor registrar and breast cancer survivor, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve documented cases where women have found their own tumors that mammograms have missed, especially if the tumor is high in the chest wall (an area that cannot be viewed on mammogram).

So what do we do with all this new information? Actually, it’s a good thing! Let me explain. I learned early on after my breast cancer diagnosis in 1996 that I needed to be my own advocate. Women know their bodies better than anyone else. If you suspect something is wrong, you are most likely right. Whatever government mandates, whatever the USPSTF guidelines are, whatever your insurance says, listen to your body. The guidelines will forever be in flux, but the decision is still yours – it always has been.

Do I agree with their recommendations? Absolutely not! But my healthcare decisions are never based on guidelines from any one organization.

“The mammography debate will continue and quite frankly will never be resolved. Recommendations today will be replaced my new recommendations in the future.

What will never change is your ability to be your own advocate. The best thing you can do is to talk to your family physician about what plan is best for you, continue to do self-breast exams (once a month), and report anything suspicious or abnormal to your healthcare provider.

Quite frankly, I’m thankful that the USPSTF made these new guidelines because it shows how ridiculous “task forces” can be when they follow statistical data and leave God and a woman’s intuition out of the picture.

Take it for what it’s worth – not much. Be your own advocate: know your family history, get copies of all your medical reports (mammograms, lab work, pathology reports) and if you don’t understand something – ask! If you don’t get the answers you want, seek out another healthcare provider or get a second opinion. If your doctor won’t listen to you, find another one who will. It just might save your life. I found my own breast cancer on a self-exam (that a mammogram missed), fought my way through the system that failed me three times, and I’m still alive 13 years later because I didn’t give up!

Don’t let politics and new mammogram guidelines change the way you take care of yourself!

Blessings,

Connie