Question About Timing of Breast MRI

barb3246 · April 2013

I was due for my yearly breast MRI in March, and I was planning to schedule the breast MRI like I usually do (during days 7-10 of my period ). However, I still have not gotten my period, and the MRI authorization expires 4/12. I am 48 years old and I'm usually somewhat regular, but my period is now a month late. Should I just schedule the MRI anyway, or should I ask to extend the authorization and wait till I get my period? I've heard that if you don't time the MRI correctly in your cycle you could end up with a false positive result and the MRI will be hard for the radiologist to read. Can anybody give me some advice on this? Thanks!

snorkeler · April 2013

Hi Barb--The MRI place I go to won't even give a premenopausal woman an appointment for a breast MRI until her period has started, that's how strongly they feel about the timing. I would call the MRI place to ask them how their radiologists feel about it, but my first choice would be to ask for an extension on the authorization. It's not like you can control your period, and I would imagine your insurance would be willing to wait to pay for an accurate reading with the least chances of a false positive result. My cycle is all over the place now, sometimes as long as 45 days, so I expect to have the same issues. Good luck. Karen

peanutsgal · April 2013

barb3246,

Since you are 48, and it could be "that time", you might want to have a blood test done to see where you are in your cycle. They can check different levels and if they are within certain parameters then you can proceeded with the MRI without actually getting your period. Best of luck and wishing B9 results.

barb3246 · April 2013

Ok - they extended my authorization another 60 days. I have another question. This morning it looks like I'm spotting a little bit, not exactly what you would call a "period". Should I go ahead and count this as Day 1 and schedule the MRI, or should I wait to see if I get a real period?? This whole perimenopause thing is really confusing. I've been pretty regular until now, so I'm not sure what to do. Is this normal or should I be worried that I haven't had a real period since early Feb and now I'm just spotting? I'm stressed out enough about getting the MRI and this is just adding to the stress!

MelissaDallas · April 2013

Barb, I can't tell you about MRI, but I can tell you that just about anything is "normal" during perimenopause. When I finally had my hysterectomy, I had gone through it all in ten years. The first thing I noticed was in my late thirties I started suffering extreme mood swings & premenstrual migraines. Before that I never even believed in PMS. Always wondered why people didn't just take an advil & get a life:). For a long time my periods were irregular and started to get closer & closer together to the point I felt like it was almost constant. Sometimes less than three weeks part. i had one episode of really heavy bleeding & clotting that went on for several weeks. They put me on Yasmin b/c pill for about a year. Then my periods got further & further apart. Sometimes I would just spot. Sometimes I would go six or eight months without a period & then have several in a row regular as clockwork, then stop again for months. I never made it for my official year period-free to be finally menopausal. When I had my hysterectomy at 49 I still had a weakly proliferative endometrium.

MelissaDallas · April 2013

I should add that towards the end I started having problems with never being sleepy at night when I should be and being hot all the time. It was a real PITA.

snorkeler · April 2013

Barb--That is exactly what happened to me before my last MRI. I got some spotting but wasn't sure if my period had really started or not, so I called the nurse who makes the appointments and she said she was okay with calling it Day 1. It did end up turning into a period more or less, but of course that's after the fact.

barb3246 · April 2013

I emailed the nurse who makes the appts., and she wrote back to wait a couple of days and see if it continues and if so schedule then. I'm not sure exactly what she meant by "see if it continues" (the spotting or it turns into an actual period?), but today it is just a little spotting again, just like yesterday. Snorkeler, so when you say it "ended up turning into a period more or less", I assume that after the Day 1 of spotting you got a more regular flow?

It figures - I'm usually fairly regular but of course my body doesn't cooperate when I need to get an MRI

snorkeler · April 2013

Barb--Yes, I do mean that I got a more regular flow, but if I remember correctly it was on the lighter side. Last year I went off the pill/patch, got an IUD, and also started tamoxifen, and each one of those can affect your period, so I'm still figuring out what my new normal is. Most of the time my period starts slowly (spotting), then I get one or two heavier flow days, and then it peters out slowly again. I haven't been very regular at all; my cycle is anywhere from 35-45 days. That's the main thing I miss about being on hormonal contraception--I always knew exactly which day my period would start.

barb3246 · April 2013

After 3 days of light spotting I talked to the scheduling nurse again, and she told me to just go ahead and schedule the MRI, so Ill be having it next Tuesday. I really hope that they will be able to get a good reading since I'm already stressed out about it to begin with. Here's hoping for benign results!

snorkeler · April 2013

You've done everything you can to ensure an accurate reading, so just try to relax now. Wishing you the best.

Question About Timing of Breast MRI

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