Worried about uncomfortable lumps and cysts in your boobs and what to do about them? Writer, Charlotte Dormon, shares her breast MRI experience that finally gave her peace of mind
I’ve had cysts in my breasts for as long as I can remember. They were particularly painful and noticeable in my twenties, when my breasts would feel lumpy, tender and uncomfortable around the middle of my cycle and before my period. At the time, I was told it was hormonal and possibly linked to being on the contraceptive pill. The evening primrose oil that was prescribed by my GP at the time seemed to help me and eased the discomfort in comparison, but the cysts still remained present, concerning and uncomfortable during my cycle,
As the years went on, the cysts themselves never completely disappeared, though, and over the years I simply got used to having lumpy breasts. It was only when I reached my forties that I began to think about them differently. Every time I checked my breasts, I would find myself wondering whether I had felt a particular lump before. Was it new? Had it become bigger? Was I imagining that it felt different? When your breasts have always been naturally lumpy, it can be surprisingly difficult to remember exactly what is normal.
I had already had two mammograms in my forties after both myself and my GP became concerned about different lumps, and thankfully both were clear. But by 46 I still wanted to understand what was going on a little better. I wasn’t convinced there was anything wrong; I simply wanted the peace of mind of knowing that the cysts and lumps I could feel had been properly looked at.
I spoke to my GP about having a breast MRI, but it wasn’t something that could be offered to me through the NHS. I understood that, but I still felt I wanted further reassurance, so I started looking at private options. I was recommended by a friend to try a private breast MRI at Vista Health and, following a virtual consultation with one of their GPs, I was referred for a breast MRI at their unit at East Surrey Hospital in Redhill.
For me, deciding to have the scan wasn’t about being frightened into having more tests. It was almost the opposite. I wanted to stop questioning myself every time I felt another lump and understand my own breasts better. Around 59,400 invasive breast cancers are diagnosed in the UK each year, according to Cancer Research UK. Most breast lumps are not cancer, but one of the most important things I learnt through this experience is that a history of benign breast cysts doesn’t mean we should automatically assume every new lump is another cyst. A new or unexplained change still needs checking.
Why breast cysts can make self-checking confusing
Breast cysts are fluid-filled sacs that develop within the breast tissue and are particularly common in women over the age of 35. They are benign, meaning they are not cancerous, and having breast cysts does not in itself increase your risk of breast cancer. Some cysts are tiny and impossible to feel, while others can feel quite firm, smooth or tender and can become more noticeable at certain points in your menstrual cycle.
What I hadn’t fully appreciated was that you cannot know simply by touching a lump that it is definitely a cyst. I think that is particularly important for women who, like me, have been told over the years that the lumps they can feel are benign. It’s easy to assume the next one is exactly the same. This doesn’t mean we need to panic every time we feel something, but we do need to notice changes. A new lump, swelling, change in breast shape, nipple discharge, skin dimpling or persistent pain should be checked. Even if you’ve had cysts before, it is always worth going back if something feels different.
During my NHS mammograms, I had also been told that I had dense breasts. At first, I didn’t really understand what that meant. Breast density isn’t something you can see or feel yourself; it describes the amount of glandular and connective tissue compared with fatty tissue inside the breast.
On a mammogram, fatty tissue appears relatively dark, while dense tissue appears white. Some abnormalities also appear white, which can make them more difficult to see in very dense breasts. When I spoke to Dr Jonathan Nash, Director of Breast Radiology at Vista Health, he explained it simply: “If you’ve got a lot of glandular tissue, it can be quite hard to see through that on the mammogram.” Very dense breasts are also associated with a higher risk of developing breast cancer. According to the UK National Screening Committee, around one in ten women have very dense breasts, while up to half have a mixture of dense and fatty breast tissue.
Mammogram or MRI?
Before my scan, I didn’t really understand the different roles of mammography and MRI. A mammogram uses low-dose X-rays and remains the standard NHS breast-screening test. It is particularly good at identifying tiny calcifications, which can sometimes be an early sign of breast cancer.
An MRI works differently. It uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of breast tissue and usually involves injecting a contrast agent through a cannula during the scan. Dr Nash explained that dense breast tissue does not obscure an MRI the way it can on a mammogram.
That doesn’t mean an MRI is simply better than a mammogram. The two tests provide different information and can complement each other when clinically appropriate. MRI is also extremely sensitive, which means it can sometimes identify areas that ultimately turn out to be harmless and may lead to further investigation.
Importantly, if you find a new breast lump, booking yourself an MRI should not replace seeing your GP. Depending on your symptoms, age and medical history, you may be examined and offered an ultrasound or mammogram first, with an MRI recommended if a specialist thinks it is appropriate.
What my breast MRI was actually like
The scan itself was much more straightforward than I expected, and it was reassuring to understand exactly what was happening. Before the MRI started, the nurse at Vista Health talked me through the whole process and gave me plenty of time to get comfortable. I lay face-down on the scanning table, with my breasts positioned into two specially designed openings so they could be imaged without being compressed in the way they are during a mammogram.
Once I was in position, the table moved into the MRI scanner. The machine takes a series of detailed images using a magnetic field and radio waves, so it involves no X-ray radiation. It is noisy, with lots of knocking and whirring sounds, and you need to stay as still as possible while each set of images is taken. I was able to communicate with the team throughout, which made the whole experience feel much less daunting.
Partway through the scan, they gave me contrast dye through a cannula in my arm. This helps the radiologist see how the breast tissue behaves and can make certain areas easier to assess on the images. The whole appointment took around 60 minutes, although the actual scanning is broken into shorter sections for around 35 mins, so it doesn’t feel like one continuous long scan.
Inevitably, lying there with not much to distract me, I did start wondering what they might find. But I also remember feeling relieved that I had finally gone ahead with it. For me, getting some proper clarity felt far better than continuing to second-guess every lump and wonder whether something had changed.
There wasn’t much waiting around for my results, which really impressed me. My report and images were available online within three days, and I was to book a follow-up consultation with the Vista Health GP within the same day to go over my results. And thank goodness, my results were reassuring: yes, the cysts were visible, as expected, but there was nothing to worry about concerning breast cancer and no concerns with the cysts they saw on the scan. After spending so long wondering what was going on with all these lumps I could feel, the relief was absolutely enormous. I felt like a big weight had been lifted.
What I learnt about looking after my breast health
I was also interested in whether diet and lifestyle measures can support breast health. I spoke to nutritionist and chartered psychologist Dr Naomi Newman-Beinart PhD.
“There isn’t one magical ‘breast health’ food or supplement,” she says. “I encourage women to think about the bigger picture.” That means eating a varied diet rich in fibre and plant foods, including healthy fats, exercising regularly, keeping alcohol intake low and maintaining a healthy weight, particularly after menopause. For women experiencing cyclical breast tenderness, Naomi also points to research around consuming approximately 25–30g of ground flaxseed a day. Some women also find reducing caffeine helps with breast tenderness, although the evidence is inconclusive. Evening primrose oil certainly helped me when I was younger, although research into its effectiveness is mixed.
One of the most useful pieces of advice Dr Nash gave me was simply to know what is normal for your own breasts. The NHS recommends checking your breasts or chest around once a month, and that means looking as well as feeling. The aim isn’t to become an expert at identifying what every lump is. It is simply to become familiar enough with your breasts to notice when something has changed.
I’m not suggesting every woman who has cysts or dense breasts needs to book a private MRI. For me, it was about wanting additional reassurance and a clearer understanding of breasts that had always been quite difficult for me to monitor. What I would say is that if something feels different, don’t be afraid to get it checked, even if you have been checked before, even if the previous lump was a cyst, and even if part of you worries you are making a fuss about nothing.
At 46, I feel much more confident about my own breast health, not because I now think I can identify every lump myself, but because I understand that I don’t have to. If something changes or worries me, I’ll get it checked. For me, that is where the real peace of mind comes from.
For more information about private MRI scans, including breast MRI, visit Vista Health at www.vista-health.co.uk/diagnostics/mri/
