Breast Ultrasound

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LAngel
LAngel Member Posts: 7
edited November 2015 in Benign Breast Conditions

Why is it I have to fight every year to try and get a breast ultrasound along with my regular mammogram. I am post menopausal, 61 years old, and all my life have had very dense fibrous breast tissue and still do after menopause. I know a regular mammogram doesn't pick up everything with this condition called "fibrocystic breast condition". My sister died at age 61 from breast cancer with this condition and it was never recommended she get a breast ultrasound until it was to late.

Does anyone else want to talk about this?

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  • Moderators
    Moderators Member Posts: 25,912
    edited November 2015

    Angel, you may want to take a look at this page on our site:

    Breast Ultrasound

    Also, if you have been determined to be high risk, you may qualify for Ultrasound as part of your screening.

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  • Bunnyhuggr
    Bunnyhuggr Member Posts: 57
    edited November 2015

    LAngel, I'm sorry to hear about your sister, & totally sympathize with your frustration. I'm 55 & just found out last month that I also have very dense breasts. It was info I just happened to stumble across. No one ever told me. And I knew nothing about how much more difficult that makes it to find tumors on 2D mammograms till I started reading up on it on the internet. No one ever suggested I get an ultrasound or MRI

    Today I made an appt. for a breast ultrasound. I don't know if my insurance will pay for it. If not, I'll pay for it myself. The Dr's fee & u/s come to $290. I'm very lucky to be able to afford that. A lot of women aren't that fortunate. To me it's worth it just for the peace of mind. For the last month I've been worrying there could be some small lump that the mammograms missed because of my dense tissue. I know no test is foolproof, but at least this'll put my mind more at ease.

    LAngel, I hope you get the tests you need & your insurance pays for them! And of course, I hope everything is benign!!

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  • BarredOwl
    BarredOwl Member Posts: 2,433
    edited November 2015

    Hi:

    I just saw an interesting article in MedScape regarding the results of a study in Japan of combined mammography and ultrasound. To access the article without registration, google the title:

    "Ultrasound Boosts Breast Cancer Detection in Japanese Women"

    BarredOwl

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  • Bunnyhuggr
    Bunnyhuggr Member Posts: 57
    edited November 2015

    Thanks BarredOwl, that was an interesting article! 91% sensitivity vs. 77% from mammogram alone, that's enough to make me glad I made that ultrasound appt.

    The downside is the increase in false positives. Having just had a biopsy for something that was benign I wouldn't want to go through that again anytime soon. But it's a risk I'm willing to take for now. Hopefully in the future I can get 3D mammos. I think I read somewhere they're also good at finding masses in dense breasts but have fewer false positives than ultrasounds or MRIs.

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  • LAngel
    LAngel Member Posts: 7
    edited November 2015

    Insurance doesn't usually pay for an ultrasound in high risk women. They have to find something first on a regular mammogram, then they will pay for an ultrasound if you ask for one. This has been my experience for years. Seems like it should be the other way around. Prevention should come first. It would be less expensive for the insurance companies if cancer is found earlier.

    Thank You

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  • Bunnyhuggr
    Bunnyhuggr Member Posts: 57
    edited November 2015

    LAngel, I agree, that is messed up.

    From what I've found on the internet, there are 3 states that require insurance to pay for screening ultrasounds for women with dense breasts: Connecticut, Illinois & Indiana.

    Something needs to change. It's ridiculous that so many women with dense breasts aren't finding their cancer till it's advanced.

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  • Liza12345
    Liza12345 Member Posts: 13
    edited November 2015

    HEY, I too, have very dense fibrocystic breast. Although I am small breasted my surgeon has ALWAYS required me to get a mammogram and ultra sound. This last time they found atypical cells that my mammogram did not pick up.(these cells were like a lump but could not be felt) I have had a lumpectomy this past Monday and have not heard any results yet. But YES you need to get both. I get mine at the same time but was told the hospital doesn't like you getting them at the same time because they don't make as much money. good Luck Liza1234



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  • LAngel
    LAngel Member Posts: 7
    edited November 2015

    Thanks Bunnyhuggr and Liza

    It's 2015 and I can't believe the medical industry is not doing anything about this. A lot of women have very dense breasts and it should be a no brainer for them to see that we need both mammogram and ultrasound. I just think it's a way to make more money for them. If a women has advanced breast cancer it's more money for the medical industry, so why should they try and prevent us from finding it earlier. They don't care about us, just about making more money. That's what it's all about in America, people don't matter, just money.

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  • marijen
    marijen Member Posts: 3,731
    edited November 2015

    Found this website yesterday - my niece is dense. Apparently it's a dirty little secret.

    http://www.areyoudense.org/
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  • LAngel
    LAngel Member Posts: 7
    edited November 2015

    Thank you Marijen, we have to get the word out about dense breasts especially in young women. And I guess we have to educate doctors about this issue as well, so they start to tell us what condition our breasts are and not keep it a secret any longer.

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