It may seem logical that any woman who has a mastectomy would want a breast reconstruction. But, overwhelmingly, we know that women who actually have a reconstruction are in the minority. Why? What are the factors that determine whether a woman chooses to have her breast reconstructed or not? And what about the type of reconstruction that a woman chooses? Obviously, there are multiple issues here. Patient choice, cancer-related issues, family & lifestyle issues, and without a doubt, the inclination of certain surgeons. The question then is, do we need to do more to ensure that patients who want a reconstruction are offered one? A lot of this argument appears to be theoretical and is often waged (ostensibly on behalf of their patients) by well-meaning clinicians. There are many studies suggesting that women who have a breast reconstruction do “better”: they have better psychological and sexual recovery & they have better quality of life. But is that really true? There are also ample studies to suggest that women who choose not to have a reconstruction (for whatever reason), do just as well with respect to these parameters as those patients who do undergo reconstruction. Whatever the case, the choice to … Continue reading Breast reconstruction: Who wants it? Who gets it?