To think that having a mammogram carried out by a man is preferable to a long wait for an appointment.

[JudithOnHolidayAgain]

I know many people who wouldn't be here now without early detection of breast cancer due to the screening programme.
I have had a few myself.
It's not something I look forward to but it's a few minutes of discomfort that could save my life so I put up with it.
Given the choice I would prefer a woman carry it out as it is quite intrusive but as there is a shortage of female staff I would be ok with a male member of staff as long as there was a chaperone and Iwas told in advance.
If they do change the rules I think there should be a choice.

Ok you carry on your thoughts. Not going to argue

Ugh do people have no reading comprehension? Literally this would be the case for mammograms too. There would be a chaperone. And there would be the option to request a woman should you wish.

Men can have breast cancer but regardless they are there to do a job so I want them to get on with it like anyone would

Oh, and she got slaughtered by some for it.

No thank you. I will not consent to this being done by a man. Why is it always women who need to bloody compromise on our boundaries. No.

I wouldn’t want either gynae or mammogram carried out by a man. But I have no objection to other women choosing to have male staff, just as long as the choice is offered at the appointed stage and preferences are recorded and respected

Of course you don’t have to consent for it, in which case you can ask for a female mammographer.
Some women would consent for a male mammographer and so would free up the female mammographer for those women who wouldn’t consent.

There are female urologists that stick tubes up men’s penises, examine their testes and operate on their prostates.

As a woman I don't care who examines me as long as they are qualified

Women should have a choice.
I'd rather have a woman.
But obviously if the last person on earth who could conduct a mammogram was a man, I'd go ahead. I'd hate it, but i'd go.

No-one has to consent for anything even in a life threatening situation provided you have capacity to consent.
Screening mammography is not done in a life threatening or emergency situation so you can definitely decline to have a male practitioner. You also have the right to have a chaperone whether the practitioner is male or female.

You are very man handled when having a mammogram. If it was a man, I would just not go.

Majority of breast surgeons are male, I never knew they didn’t carry out mammograms tbh. I’d be happy with either as long as I get seen.

@noworklifebalance yes female practitioners do that to males a lot but the point is 98% of sexual assaults are committed by males in the UK so these males are taking considerably less risk than women.

Just a reminder that being a professional with many years of study does not automatically mean that someone is “not” a threat - Wayne Couzens, Harold Shipman - I hope we have gone past the time when people acquiesced to doctors, police officers, teachers because we assumed that what they were doing was a standard procedure that we didn’t understand because they were “professional people with many years of study”. If people are uncomfortable , intimidated or feel they are being pushed into a situation they have not been fully informed about , then they should have the right to know that they can say so and have the situation changed, without having the additional pressure of other people telling them it was fine and dandy for them so shut up, just get on with it and be grateful.

Didn’t even know this wasn’t already a thing. Me and DH joke we’ve practically had a threesome with our male GP. Due the amount of times he’s examined my breasts/vagina/finger up bum/ his testicles etc
To be fair a mammogram is one of the intrusive tests I’ve had to have.

Women would always have the choice to refuse consent to be examined by a male. To carry out examination without consent = assault

But Dr Beth Upton said they would carry out procedures on women who had requested female staff. This concerned me hugely. Medical professionals must be honest about their sex, to enable patients to nake informed decisions

Do you have to be so unpleasant? My point is that a chaperone would have to be provided-thus increasing staff demand-because in the UK, chaperones are standard for intimate exams when performed by the opposite sex. You an train all these female staff who would be chaperones to actually perform the mammogram.

You get a chaperone for female performed exams too at my GP surgery so it’s not a massive waste of resources. Of course there would be a choice - everyone has been saying that from the outset.

@hellywelly3 have you had a mammogram? They really manouevre your breasts. It can be very hands on and in a manner that is not like a test. They literally position your breasts, and change their position. moving them about.

I understand- just replying to the bit that men are not asked to be in a vulnerable situation with the opposite sex (paraphrasing). Many would prefer to be examined by a man, which is fair enough.

However, I don’t think that male radiographers doing mammograms is so radical or controversial given that
(a) intimate examinations and procedures have long been performed by the opposite sex
(b) patients can decline to have the examinations/procedure to be done by the opposite sex
(c) chaperones are available for opposite examinations and can be requested for same sex examinations too.

Until I had for breast cancer I would have said that I didn't care whether I was treated by a man or a woman; I was quite surprised that I was a little bothered by male radiographers - not bothered enough to refuse treatment though.

Suitably trained men should absolutely be able to conduct mammograms. And women should absolutely have the right to choose whether or not their mammogram is conducted by a suitably trained man. I mean, isn't this a no brainer?

I’m a breast cancer survivor and have been examined/operated on by numerous male consultants over the years. It doesn’t bother me.

Yes I have. I’ve also had ultra sounds on my breasts.
I personally found a transvaginal scan more intrusive

I have been a radiographer for 30 years and i have never been tempted to specialise in mammography. Mammography jobs have always been notoriously difficult to fill as not enough radiographers are interested in the speciality.

Not only do you need your degree in diagnostic radiography but you need to study mammography at post grad level which you have to do alongside working. The job is repetive and many mammographers suffer repetitive strain injuries from constant manipilation.

A lot of the jobs require staff to work away from home for a week at a time on mobile vans on the islands etc which can also be difficult for family life.
I dont know what the answer to recruitment would be, but i dont think it is training males to do the job as i know attendance figures will drop.