No. My experience with my diagnosis was that my doctor never raised anything about breast cancer or screening, not when I turned 40 or when I was older, between 40 and 43. My family doctor took my history. I do not have first-degree relatives with it, but there is breast cancer in my family. That didn't seem to figure into anything. The other side of my family history is completely unknown, and that being the case, it was very hard for anybody to assess my risk.
I know that genetic testing, obviously, is very expensive. It's my understanding that unless there is a cluster of cases in the immediate family, you probably wouldn't be sent. Ultimately, once I had my diagnosis, I was sent for genetic testing and I do not carry the mutation. Mine is one of the 85% of all breast cancers where there is no family history. On the IBIS risk calculator that Jennie spoke to, I would have scored low.
It's about the mammogram. Had I had access and been able to self-refer at 40, I would have caught this. I'm proactive with my health. I would have caught it at 40 or whenever it came up, and it wouldn't have been as advanced.
To Jennie's point, I understand family doctors have to be jacks of all trades, but when faced with patients questioning, asking or wanting to know more, there's gatekeeping and a refusal to refer. Whether that is a matter of finances, I don't know the answer, but I don't think they're doing a service to patients by gatekeeping care.