"I'm too busy." That's the number one reason women under 60 with insurance gave for skipping their yearly mammograms.
But it doesn't have to take much time out of your day. St. Luke's Breast Imaging Center tries to make your yearly screening quick and easy.
An actual mammogram only takes about 20 minutes, and you only have to do it once a year starting at age 40, or earlier if you have a family history. So, while many women lead very busy lives, time just shouldn't be an excuse.
"We schedule their appointments every half hour and our goal is to get them in and out in that half hour – of course there are days when we run a little bit later, but we try to get them in and out. On the third Thursday morning of every month, we do what we call "Done in a Day" and the woman can have her annual exam at any physician of her choice and then she can come here the same day and have her mammogram and bone density test and she can get a massage while she's here – a little pampering and have refreshments," says Cheryl Michalsky, Manager of St. Luke's Breast Imaging Center.
If you do have a mammogram every year, chances are if breast cancer is found it'll be in it's early stages, which means the best chance of survival.
Also in this study, a quarter of women reported not get yearly mammograms because they say it caused "too much pain." Michalsky says if that's an issue for you, tell your technician. It also helps some women to take Tylenol or ibuprofen before their exam.
