‘Like why are we putting an age on it??’: 26-year-old woman goes for breast cancer screening. She didn’t expect the ultrasound tech to tell her this

According to the American Cancer Society, 1 in 8 U.S. women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. Yet, despite this, younger women aren't given as much opportunity to have early screenings. To have a mammogram, for instance, you must be at least 40. However, according to Cancer Research U.K., if a relative has cancer, your chance of having cancer increases.

In a video that has amassed 313,700 views, 26-year-old TikToker Mik (@miksstuff) shared how her relative got diagnosed with breast cancer at 36. But despite this family connection, getting a breast cancer screening was an uphill battle.

"So I just had a breast cancer screening, and I was interrogated," she began. "For context. I had a relative pass away from breast cancer. My doctor recommended that I get screened. However, I'm not 30. Usually, they recommend you get screened 10 years before your relative got diagnosed."

Ultrasound gone wrong

Following this standard guideline, Mik's doctor suggested that she get a mammogram, but she claims the facility refused this because of her age. As an alternative, the doctor recommended an ultrasound, which, after some initial concerns, was covered by her insurance. But things went downhill as she attended the appointment. Once she was in the ultrasound room with her gown on, the person conducting the ultrasound said she had questions.

"These questions should have been asked at the front desk before I even got brought back to the room," Mika said. "The lady had me call my insurance company while I was sitting there, half-naked. I am in the room half-dressed, ready for the screening, and she's basically trying to tell me that I don't qualify for this procedure. She just seemed upset that I was there. I literally, at one point, said 'I'm sorry' to her. She just seemed really dismissive."

Mika said she was worried the sonographer's dismissiveness meant she wasn't checked properly.

"I was kind of worried that that might impact my results, that she wouldn't accurately look for signs that I might have some sort of cancer," she said.

"You know, Women's Health is already dealing with a lot of issues right now, so I just figured I'd share that," she concluded. "I really hope that it's nothing. Just thought it was really interesting. You know, I'm the youngest person in the waiting room, and I was getting scrutinized for it."

Mika didn't immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok comment and Instagram direct message.

@miksstuff These questions should’ve been asked at the desk, not by the tech. She was basically trying to convince me to not have the ultra sound while I was half dressed as if I was being an inconvenience and didn’t know what I was talking about. Do you think I just showed up to the screening for fun??? It was not a great experience but I hope the charts are clear. #cancer #fyp #womenshealth #womensrights #healthy #healthcare ♬ original sound - Mik

Commenters shared similar experiences

Based on the comments, it's clear that medical misogyny is alive and well.

"I was told that not getting my period for 5 months straight was normal and if it was cervical cancer it wouldn’t matter until I turned 20. and they put me on nuvaring," one commenter shared.

"I had a lump and NO ONE would give me a mammogram," another added. "Had to get an ultrasound."

While a third wrote, "I had a 8.5 lb. Stage 3 cancerous tumor hanging off of my liver and two Stage 2 tumors on my fallopian tube and uterus. They didn't find them until I completely changed hospital systems and already gave birth twice."

They added, "Turns out they can find babies just fine, but they couldn't be bothered to tell me about the giant tumor growing on my liver since fifth grade."

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The post ‘Like why are we putting an age on it??’: 26-year-old woman goes for breast cancer screening. She didn’t expect the ultrasound tech to tell her this appeared first on The Daily Dot.