Approximately 4 million women have had breast implant surgery in the U.S.  Many do not realize that typically silicone or saline implants have a reliable life of 10 years.  The FDA warns that after 10 years at least one implant is likely to rupture and by twenty years both implants will have ruptured.  This indicates that implants should be monitored for leaks and ruptures and replaced or removed periodically to protect her health.  If the saline or silicone is not sterile and leaks into the body, it can an often does, cause irreparable damage to her health.  Fibromyalgia can be directly related to such events.

The FDA reports that mammography screening will most likely reduce the life of the implant, and ruptures during the procedure do occur.  Even so, annual mammogram screening is recommended for women with implants, although sensitivity is affected.  The false negative rate increases from 33% for women without implants to 55% for women with implants.  For these reasons, women with implants may choose to avoid mammography.

 For those women who still desire to screen for breast health, thermography is a safe and worry-free method, as there is no possibility of directly affecting the implants.  Also, women are expected to have a baseline screening before implant surgery.   Many are too young to be exposed to the radiation of x-ray and screening with thermography would be a wise choice.