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Barriers To Mammography

Researchers have been trying to identify why American women do not follow the generally accepted guidelines for having screening mammography tests.  While the answer is probably slightly different for each overdue woman, questions have been raised about how the discomfort of the procedure might impact a woman's reluctance to have her test.  A study to evaluate this was recently published in the Archives of Internal Medicine (2003):  researchers found that physical discomfort did not deter most of the women in their study from getting repeat or follow-up exams.  The much more relevant factor in their decision to delay was the anxiety associated with "worrying" or "stressing out" about the results.

This study surveyed 200 women over age 40.  The pain or discomfort they reported from their mammograms was relatively low.  In fact, 96% of the women in this study said that their level of discomfort was either what they expected or less than they expected; 94% said they were likely to have a repeat mammogram the following year.  However, 39% of the women said that the most unsettling part of the mammogram process was the stress of waiting for the results.  If this is a concern for you, ask your radiology group when you make your appointment if you will have the opportunity to speak with the radiologist following your mammogram to discuss your results.  Let them know if this is important to you. . .especially if you are one of the women whose stress over the possible results is a barrier for you to get the screening tests you need. 

For more information about depression or other mental health issues, click here.


Created: 10/17/2003  -  Donnica Moore, M.D.


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