Breastfeeding and mammogram?

buglady

I was diagnosed at age 60. My daughter is approaching 38 and is breastfeeding her baby. Her OB says she cannot have a mammogram until she has stopped breastfeeding for a period of time. Any info on this? CRG

melissaga

6 months after breastfeeding has been completed is the usual recommendation. Otherwise, there's just too much going on in the breast to get a good picture. However, if she has a lump, all bets are off and they do need to image the breast anyway.

With your diagnosis at age 60, she would begin screening at the normal time with a baseline done between 35 and 40 and then annual mammos from age 40 onwards.

BostonMom

My kids were long-term nursers (one nursed for 2 1/2 years, the other for four years) and I was told the same thing. Luckily I didn't listen. I didn't want to go for such a long time w/out a mammogram, so I went in each time after about 18 months of nursing. The radiologist didn't have any trouble reading the results.

Toddler nursing is a lot different from baby nursing - much less milk is needed so the breasts are at least partly returned to normal.

So it depends on how long your daughter has been nursing - if it's more than a year, she should ignore the advice and just go for a mammogram anyway. The worst that will happen is that it will be difficult to read.

If I had listened to those who told me not to come in until my kids were totally weaned, it would probably have been a death sentence.