Q&A
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Should children be tested for breast cancer gene?
Many women are asking to be tested for the breast cancer gene...and now some are asking for their very young daughters to be tested.
Doctors say that you don't need to be screened that early; knowing if you are genetically succeptible won't let you be treated any sooner anyway, and won't make a difference down the line.
Would you have your daughter tested? At what age?
No, I would not get my young daughters tested for many reasons, but mostly because it's the last thing they need to worry about at this age. However I was tested earlier this week as I was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. My results will not only help me choose which path to go down, but also allow me to alert my daughters' doctors as they get older so screening can begin earlier for them than the average woman.
I also found out through my Dr. that while insurance co's have to authorize the BRCA test, they don't receive the results and by federal law they cannot decline new coverage based on genetic (dna) information.
If i had a daughter, I would absolutely not get her tested. The biggest reason is that I wouldn't want to give any insurance company any ammunition for denying treatment by some chance she does get diagnosed. Plus, it's rough enough to be aware of your family history at a young age, but imagine telling a 10 year old girl that she has this ticking timebomb in her body that could go off at any point. What does that do to her mentally? It can't be good.
