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With the news about Angelina Jolie getting a double mastectomy,

it makes me question, “Would you want to know if you have a gene for cancers or other diseases?“

I personally can see the use if they are preventable and that is fine, however I stress and worry a lot so having this information might just make the issue if it ever becomes one worse. One other thing that I do worry about is what if this information was used to make life insurance harder to get and more expensive to maintain, this could be a real possibility.

If you for example had a test come back saying that you were likely to get breast cancer or something else this might be an issue with privacy of who knows this piece data.

I think that what Angelina Jolie and many other women in her situation did was the best for her given the circumstances, however I would if I had the tests done worry about the what if’s and things that might never eventuate.

If faced with the same statistics that Jolie was faced with I might have made the same decision or maybe wait to see if it was needed, you might not get it even though there is a high percentages that it could be a possibility. If you are high risk preventative action is a good idea to make sure you are around for the family, and I agree with this.

Again if you are anything like me, I stress over the unknown if I get told something has a high percentage of happening, so why not beat it while you can.

If I do get tested to find out what is lurking in my DNA, I would only want to be told things that are preventable. Some diseases or problems don’t have cures (Alzheimer’s disease) although this is being worked on and discoveries are happening every day. I would like the doctor to let me know what I can work on to prevent and to give me the best chance of making sure I remain healthy for a long time to come.

Most doctors or healthcare providers seem to say the same things, stay at a healthy weight, exercise, and eat well, don’t smoke, drink little or nothing and then you will have the best chance to fight off things. So at the end of the day there are many things in our control but some things are not. I don’t want to get any of it, but I also don’t want to have my days ruined by stressing and worrying about what ifs and things that could happen due to a test.

What would you do? Would you get tested?

Suzanne Robinson is an ex career girl (well still a career girl, but not in the office and getting paid). She has worked for the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), News Ltd.’s, CareerOne.com.au as a producer and lots more.

She is a mother to four year old identical twin girls, who keep her very busy. On top of looking after the girls, she is studying for a master’s degree in project management, blogging on her blog “Mummy to Twins”, attempting to keep the house clean and tidy, and trying to fit in some me time as well.