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.

That’s great for you, and others. Makes the queue shorter for women who only want women, and for women who don’t care who does it. 🤷‍♀️

But why should your opinion mean other women have to wait longer and potentially get their cancer picked up at a later stage if they're happy to be seen by man?

Yes, and other than one poster on here, everyone who said they were fine with a man said they thought women should have a choice. So everyone is happy then.

Oh was it done without your knowledge? Or were they upfront with you explaining they needed to photograph your breasts to discuss the optimal procedure with other medics? Jeez, I despair sometimes. Telling someone that a doctor secretly filming an intimate exam is ok because you needed photos taken to discuss your case is one of the nuttiest things I’ve read.

According to Breast Cancer UK;

Despite a lower number of breast cancer compared to the white population, it is also true that black Caribbean, black African, Indian and Pakistani UK women are at greater risk of being diagnosed with breast cancers that are more difficult to treat (including later stage, more aggressive, more difficult to treat sub-types).

Additionally, South Asian women, which includes those from Indian, Bangladeshi and Pakistani backgrounds, are at higher odds of being diagnosed with late-stage breast cancers.

Breast Cancer Now says;

women living in areas of higher deprivation and those from certain ethnic backgrounds are much less likely to attend regular breast screening. These same groups often face higher rates of late-stage diagnosis and therefore, poorer outcomes.

Many women have questions or concerns about screening – what they should wear, how long it will take, whether it’s painful, will they been seen by male staff – and about breast cancer generally. When these questions go unanswered, fear and anxiety can deter them from getting screened.

<end of quotes>

Then you've got women with Jewish heritage with a much increased rate of BRCA mutations. Again, not a group prone to being blasé about having their bodies out for examination or being touched by males on the whole.

And people want to increase the rates of non attendance in groups that have lower uptake and worse outcomes by saying 'yeah, there could be a bloke doing it, the female staff might call in sick, you could opt to wait another year or so, we could tell the receptionist if we have one on the day to stand behind the console assuming they aren't pregnant - or you can just fuck off and we'll see you with a male surgeon when it's too late to treat effectively?'.

You are speaking for those women. Going by this thread many at risk of dying will take being seen sooner by a man.

It’s not done without your knowledge - the photos are necessary for guidance during the reconstructive surgery. And it’s all explained beforehand. The multi disciplinary team are made up of highly skilled experts in their field - it’s a necessary evil and l like to think the images are treated with sensitivity during the discussions.

For me, the issue is that, like everything else in our NHS, there really is unlikely to be a choice. Women will be bullied into taking what is offered or missing out.

So, those women who are comfortable with this won’t have to die. But others may.

Seeing as a lot of people on here are speaking for the poor, oppressed men who just want to get into mammography, somebody has to.

I have had sexual health tests and examinations carried out by men. My best specialist for my fibroids was a man and the one recommended to me by a friend is also male.

So a mammogram carried out by a man would not phase me.

I think there should be an option but that option will be easier if far more women enter into that field. If we don’t….well then we have only ourselves to blame.

Really? Because I get asked at my GP if I want a female doctor and I never get the impression that I will be bullied if I say yes.

My own experience was of having a routine mammogram cancelled twice because of staffing problems. I waited around ten weeks before another appointment was available and subsequently attended the screening which discovered my cancer. I was fortunate in that mine was neither fast growing, nor aggressive, but had it been that delay could well have resulted in diagnosis at a more advanced stage. I think anything that speeds up the process is to be welcomed, and hopefully many women won’t have a preference.

Yes, I work in breast, I was being sarcastic that you chose to dismiss a victim of secret filming by a HCP she should have been able to trust because you had your breasts photographed.

DH was a Partner in a GP practice. There were only male GP’s.

Oh give over it’s not about “ poor oppressed men “demanding anything. It’s about experts
(The Society of Radiographers (SoR) ) calling for a change in policy due to "critical" staff shortages among radiographers who specialise in this area.

But hey you put women at risk and write your own narrative. 🙄

Ridiculous comment. You can’t force more women to enter the field and the point here is that women will still have a choice. Whatever needs to be done to speed up screenings is surely to be welcomed. The alternative is that in many cases delays will inevitably cost lives.

I am actually not bothered at all at being examined by a male doctor. I had a mammogram yesterday, it was my five year one post breast cancer and it’s a bloody horrible experience. The wonderful woman who did the mammo was kind and reassuring even while having to manhandle my boobs into various positions. No, I wouldn’t want a man doing that I have to be honest.

Ah sorry. Sarcasm recognition fail on my part.x

If the alternative is having breast cancer that goes undiagnosed because I had to wait for a female to exam me, I wouldn’t bat an eyelid at allowing a man to do it. Same as a smear test, I’ve never had one done by a man but if I was concerned about symptoms and they could only offer a man, I would rather let him do it, than not. I’ve had plenty of pelvic exams while pregnant and all have been done by male doctors so it doesn’t really bother me.

I have a young family that needs me, and that’s more important to me than a few minutes of embarrassment, but I can also completely understand anyone who wouldn’t feel comfortable for a variety of reasons and wouldn’t judge, it’s your body.

Am I the only one who thinks that I must be like a piece of meat to health care professionals? I mean I don’t want to be treated like one but at the end of the day there’s nothing special about my bits that they haven’t seen or handled thousands of times before.

Also while I’m musing out loud in reference to another post… I can’t be the only one that doesn’t want a health care professional hugging me. Now there is some boundary crossing. Seriously when did that become a thing? Ughh just examine/scan me and let me get out of there.

And that's fine,but pushing it like it's the best option isn't on. Lots of people have lots of reasons for not wanting a nan to carry out an invasive procedure

Well that’s my experience, here in rural Scotland. Glad yours is better.

So they can choose to wait however those that wish to be seen sooner most definitely should have the option experts are calling for.

@Shwishmy assault has left me with a phobia of having my breasts exposed and touched, having man manhandle me would be very upsetting and I would wait a long time, and travel a long distance to avoid that. I don’t have the same reaction for gynae but I’ve never been alone in a room during a gynae exam that involved a man, and smears have always been by a woman. My male consultant during pregnancy did make me uncomfortable but not the same level of distress