And with good reason. Many women's lives have been saved because they have gotten a mammography screening and their doctors have been able to catch breast cancer before it spreads and becomes potentially more lethal. The longer breast cancer goes undiscovered, the more likely it will not slip into remission and be treated successfully for the patient.

This is why mammograms are stressed as vitally important to women over forty years old, when breast cancer risk goes up statistically higher. They are especially emphasized as important for women of all ages who have a history of breast cancer in the female side of their immediate family since breast cancer has specific gene markers that can be passed down from female generation to female generation.

A perfect example of this are the recent entertainment news stories of Christina Applegate having a double mastectomy at the young age of 37 years old because she had the genetic markers and a small spot of breast cancer in one breast, and the write for Gossip Girl going through the same procedure because of genetic markers.

More and more women are choosing to have these considerably radical procedures done if they even have the genetic markers because their chances of getting the cancer are so much higher than if they did not possess the specific predisposing gene characteristics.

Even with all of this knowledge, and perhaps even a bit of hysteria surrounding the disease, many women are still deciding to skip their annual mammograms, even women in the higher risk groups because of age or family history, which is a bit unsettling considering the potential for their life saving benefits.

Reasons cited for these women foregoing breast screenings are many. Some women feel that they cannot afford these screenings because either their insurance does not pay for them or does not pay enough for them.

Let's not forget that many people are also still uninsured here in the US, which means that any medical expenses come right out of their pockets, making these tests hard to afford.

Some women dislike the whole process and aspect of discomfort associated with mammography screenings. The process is an uncomfortable one whereby a woman's breast is squeezed together so that accurate readings of the breast tissue can be taken and scanned, creating a very uncomfortable sensation, as well as some embarrassment and loss of modesty.

Another reason cited by those gathering the statistics that the percentage of women in risk groups getting their screenings has declined is that there is simply a shortage of qualified staff (radiologists, technicians) that can perform and read their results, making it difficult to get an appointment sometimes.

I'm not sure if this applies everywhere, but I'm sure it does apply in some more heavily populated areas. A good point was brought up that if a woman calls in and makes an appointment and is booked far in advance, she may end up canceling and losing her motivation to get the screening, making it harder for them to get back in.

Whatever the reasons are for mammograms declining, it is clear that there must be some changes made to both our healthcare system as well as the way these tests are performed to make it a system that is accommodating and easy. This way, women will be getting the preventive care they need, and breast cancer can be nipped in the bud, making advanced treatment less necessary, and focusing more on the front end, which is prevention.