Women across the country have experienced their breast implants rupturing during routine mammograms, leaving them not only with severe physical pain but also the financial burden of replacement.
Multiple women told the Herald they faced needing to pay up to $22,000 for replacing their implants. They have questioned why they have been forced to foot the bill when they were not the cause of the damage.
Health New Zealand breast screening clinical director for Counties Manukau, Dr Sally Urry, said the bursting of breast implants during routine mammograms was “extremely rare”.
“Implant rupture is related to several factors, of which compression during a mammogram is one. Other factors that increase the incidence of rupture include the age, type and location of an implant, as well as chest trauma,” Urry said.
In rare instances where an implant has ruptured during a mammogram because of compression, a patient is referred to ACC for treatment, Urry said.
Mount Maunganui resident Donna, who got her first set of implants in her 20s, told the Herald she had a mammogram a year and a half ago.
After the procedure, the 60-year-old found her breasts were very sore and bruised.
“It’s never been comfortable [getting a mammogram], but normally they’re pretty gentle, but this lady wasn’t,” Donna said.
“She didn’t do it gradually – she just went, squash. I said, ‘Oh, that’s really, really tight.’”
Donna only discovered during her latest mammogram a few months ago that her implant had ruptured.
Donna said she was told the public health system would only cover the surgery involved in removing the implants, not replacing them.
She received a quote from a breast surgeon, who said the surgery would cost $22,000.
“I was like, ‘Well, hang on a minute. I’ve got a mortgage. I’m unemployed ... why should I have to take out a loan?’”
After a stressful few weeks, Donna’s desperate application to withdraw her savings from her KiwiSaver was approved.
Anna told the Herald her implants ruptured in 2014 during her first mammogram in Hamilton.
Anna chose to get an implant procedure after she finished breastfeeding because she was left with a significant amount of loose skin. After years of saving, she was able to afford the procedure in 1999, at age 40.
“It was my choice to get breast implants, and it’s none of their business the reasons why,” Anna said.
“I was young when I had a child, and I grew from an A cup to an E.
“When I finished breastfeeding, I was left with these giant empty ... they looked like plastic bags that touched my knee.”
On the day of her mammogram, she filled in the form and disclosed the fact she had implants.
“I said, ‘well how’s this going to work?’ Because you’re going to squash my breasts.
“And they said, ‘what we do is we grab the nipple, we pull the skin right out, and we push the implant back, and then we squash the breast in between the plates’.”
She endured several unsuccessful attempts, leaving her in significant pain.
“They basically showed no compassion whatsoever, told me to keep still, told me not to be so silly, that women get it all the time,” she said.
“I said ‘this is absolutely barbaric, absolutely disgraceful and disgusting’.”
Anna said that after the mammogram, it took her a few months of discomfort to investigate what may have happened.
She went for an ultrasound after she noticed hardening and pain, which was getting worse.
She was told her implant had burst and the silicone had leaked throughout her lymph nodes and under her arms.
After a discussion with her doctor about options to remedy the issue, she decided to look for help overseas.
“What New Zealand was prepared to do, they said, all they can do is take out the implants and that’s it.
“The specialists, they didn’t care. They said they’ve got better things to worry about, like women with breast cancer. They treated you like you were a piece of crap, really.
“Unless you had breast cancer, you weren’t important.”
Two years later, Anna decided to get her implants fixed in Thailand as a more cost-effective option.
“New Zealand didn’t want to help me, and paying for it was through the roof,” she said.
Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand’s head of nursing, Natalie James, said regular breast screening is vitally important, even for women who have breast implants.
“The risk of an implant being damaged in a mammogram is very low, the risk of missing out on an early diagnosis from skipping screening is greater,” James said.
Women should tell the radiographer if they have implants, so they know to take additional pictures and to make sure they take extra precautions not to compress the implant, James said.
“If anyone is worried or has questions about screening, we have a team of specialist breast nurses who can give free and personalised advice.”
Urry said mammography is the “gold standard” for screening for breast cancer, although in some cases, MRI or ultrasound may be recommended for both for women with breast implants or without them.
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