I would never put off a mammogram because it's painful. I know how prevalent it is in my family and will probably start before 30. I will be able to stay on my mom's insurance until 26 (Thank you, Obama!!!) and I will most likely have one right before I am kicked off just in case I don't get insurance right away so I will have a good idea of where I stand. I turn 24 this year so I'm getting a lot of stuff done just because I will only have insurance guaranteed for the next couple years so I'm getting some dentistry work done etc... and I will definitely make that one of the things I get done before my insurance runs out.

As for the genetic testing....I think I have decided not to. I just got diagnosed with temporal lobe epilepsy a few months ago, my dad just had chemo for malignant melanoma plus the stress of grad school and research.....I know my limits. And finding out that I have a mutation would just be too much right now. If it's gonna happen, it's gonna happen. Knowing mutations can't stop it. And I honestly could not think of having a mastectomy at 23. Not to mention I have recently stopped having ovarian cysts and uterine polyps and am already worried about being able to have children.

So yeah....I think we're going to hold off on the BRCA, possibly indefinitely. It's gonna take a lot of thinking about whether I really want to know or not.