would you get a mammogram while breastfeeding?

[ElliesMomma]

nm

Edited by ElliesMomma - 5/28/11 at 11:28pm

[APToddlerMama]

Mammograms make doctors money.  You are fairly young with a low risk of breast cancer.  Mammograms have high rates of false positives and also some false negatives.  Self breast exams can also detect some of the fastest growing cancers which are also the most dangerous.  I wouldn't rush out to have one.  You will also be exposing yourself to radiation and there is no proof this won't *cause* breast cancer, especially for a younger woman like yourself who will have many more in the future.  Mammograms are wonderful for the right segment of people, but I wouldn't be rushing to get one.  That said, I don't know that there is anything particularly wrong with having one while breastfeeding. 

[HappyMonkey]

I would do it either.. and I thought I had heard it was bad for lactating breasts? They squish you seriously hard according to people I have talked to... and I would think that could lead to mastitis.

There are also some studies which link the radiation of repeated mammograms to causing breast cancer..... I would stick to self exams!

[geekgolightly]

http://www.llli.org/FAQ/mammogram.html

[Llyra]

I had a suspicious lump while nursing my twins, and the breast specialist I saw recommended against mammogram-- not because it would harm baby, but because they wouldn't be able to see anything much very clearly anyway. I opted for ultrasound--- took DS with me and nursed him only minutes before, to make sure the ducts were as empty as we could get them-- and even so, we weren't able to see anything, so I wound up having a needle biopsy (turned out to be a cyst, and totally harmless.) But I don't think I'd get a screening mammogram while breastfeeding, mostly because it's likely to be a waste of time and money because it's so hard to get a clear image on lactating breasts.