I am looking for a doctor who is not going to insist belligerently that I have a mammogram every year. I have read quite a bit on controversy concerning mammograms for women in their 40s and would like to find a doctor who is open to alternative screening methods or at least forgoing annual mammograms until I'm post-menopausal.

try dr. tate. I don't know his position on all mammograms but he is very into respecting your decisions. And he didn't mention trying to get me in for a "baseline" mammogram or anything which all of my prior OBs have.

http://www.kudzu.com/merchant/683486.html

I'm embarassed to say that I have not been informed on the dangers of having a mammogram. Can you fill me in please??? I have been avoiding/putting off my recommended baseline until I was done nursing. (my last baby has weaned now) TIA

Thanks for the suggestion about Dr. Tate. I heard his name a lot when I was researching homebirth, but that was several years ago, so I had forgotten about him.

About mammography, here are a few links:

http://www.webmd.com/breast-cancer/news/20031014/does-mammogram-risk-outweigh-benefit
http://www.preventcancer.com/patients/mammography/dangers.htm
http://www.naturalnews.com/021849.html
http://www.westonaprice.org/women/mammography.html
http://www.thefamilygp.com/all-about-breast-screening.htm

The last link is from the UK, where women under 50 are not offered routine mammography. In the U.S., mammography is pushed on all women over 40 without regard to the fact that most are still premenopausal and many have dense breasts and hard-to-read mammograms.

It is mind-boggling that all the research going into breast cancer can't produce a screening method that doesn't involve exposure to radiation, a known carcinogen.