Reasons for attending breast screening

The NHS Breast Screening Programme, set up in 1988, offers free mammograms to all women over 50 in the UK. Women are routinely invited for screening every three years from the ages of 50 to 70. After 70, they are encouraged to make their own appointments.

Most women accept their invitation for screening. Many whom we spoke with attended because they wanted any breast problem to be detected and treated early, before it became more serious. Most felt that breast screening benefited women because the sooner breast cancer was found and treated, the greater the chances of recovery. Knowing that breast cancer is common and that its incidence increases with age encouraged many women to be screened.

She says that screening benefits women because any breast cancer can be detected and treated early.

She says it was important to be screened knowing that the incidence of breast cancer increases with age.

Some women went for breast screening because they wanted reassurance that they were well and didn't have breast cancer. One felt that women should be made aware that, if they were not screened, breast cancer could be developing in their bodies without them knowing about it.

She goes for screening because she likes to know that she is well and healthy.

One person said that women shouldn't be put off by the embarrassment of having to undress to the waist. Others said that the pain or discomfort of mammograms shouldn't deter women from attending because these are short-lived and the benefits far outweigh any discomfort. Some also felt the benefits of early detection were much more important than any small risks associated with x-rays (see 'Information' section).

She feels reassured by being screened and says embarrassment shouldn't deter women from going.

She says that pain or discomfort shouldn't deter women from going for screening as the benefits outweigh any discomfort.

Some women said they liked to do whatever they could to look after their health. This included going for regular dental check-ups and cervical smear tests as well as mammograms. Breast screening was seen as one of several important aspects of health care. A 75-year-old woman, who had gone for screening since the NHS Breast Screening Programme was introduced, said she liked to take responsibility for her own health and breast screening helped her to feel she was doing all she could to look after herself (see 'Talking about - Breast screening after age 70').

She sees breast screening as an important aspect of health care, like going for smear tests and dental check-ups.

Several women, who'd had benign breast conditions when younger, said that these experiences had made them more aware of breast problems and the importance of being screened. A few women felt that three yearly screens were too infrequent.

Having a benign cyst made her more aware of the importance of breast screening.

One woman had attended breast screening purely out of curiosity - she felt fit, healthy and didn't believe she was at risk of developing breast cancer. She suggested that the NHS breast screening leaflet should say more about the risk factors associated with breast cancer and different kinds of breast cancers (see 'Talking about - DCIS' ). Another attended because she believed that every woman was potentially at risk of breast cancer. She felt that finding a lump would be much more worrying than going for screening, where any problems would be detected early.

She felt fit, healthy and not at any risk of breast cancer and went for screening out of curiosity.

She went for screening because she felt that every woman was potentially at risk of getting breast cancer.

For some women, friends or colleagues being diagnosed with breast cancer underlined the importance for them of going for screening. One of these women said she chose to have a mammogram done privately at the age of 50 rather than wait for her first NHS invitation as she felt that being screened was too important to wait up to three years. Another women, from a family of health professionals, said she'd never questioned whether or not to go for breast screening.

For Susan, routine breast screening is 'icing on top of the cake'. She always attends her appointments and is wary of breast cancer because of the experiences of friends.

Rosemary always attends for routine mammograms. She had some done privately, before she was eligible for free NHS screening, because friends of hers had had breast cancer.

Coming from a family of health professionals, she'd never questioned going for breast screening.

Some women attended for breast screening before the age of 50 because they'd had a family history of breast cancer. A few took part in medical research on breast screening, which included having regular mammograms before they were 50 (see 'Talking about- The UK breast screening programme'). Many women we spoke to were grateful for the opportunity to be routinely screened every three years.

Miriam is grateful that women in the UK can get free routine mammograms, and feels that every woman who is eligible can make time to attend.