Navigating Breast Cancer Screenings, Perimenopause Symptoms, and Insurance Denial—And Getting the Care She Deserved

Stephanie has spent her career helping medical practices operate more efficiently as a healthcare coach. But when her own health was on the line—from breast cancer to perimenopause—she found herself navigating a system that too often dismisses women’s concerns. Her experience fueled her mission to help others push back against medical gaslighting and insurance denials.

A Family History—and an Early Warning

Stephanie began health screenings at age 30 due to her family history. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer before 40, and other relatives had faced similar outcomes.

“We’re Ashkenazi Jewish,” she says. “So it just keeps jumping up the scale for high risk.”

Despite her elevated risk, she had to pay out of pocket for 3D mammograms. “It’s always baffled me that every year I have to pay the difference,” she says, “but with super dense breasts, I have to do it.”

In 2021, a scan revealed a suspicious mass. Though it turned out to be benign, it showed pre-cancer

indicators. Doctors inserted a metal clip and recommended watchful waiting, but Stephanie pushed for more aggressive preventive care.

“Why are we not doing a prophylactic breast removal?” she recalls asking. “And it was denied.”

Breast Cancer Screening and Insurance Denial

Stephanie insisted on a rotation of MRIs and mammograms every four months. That persistence paid off: 18 months later, two tumors were discovered on the opposite side, deep in her axillary tissue.

“It would have been there for a couple of years had I not caught it,” she says. “I had no bumps. Had nothing. It was all an MRI. Mammograms are such dated technology.”

She underwent a bilateral mastectomy. Because of early detection, she avoided radiation and chemotherapy.

Still, her challenges didn’t end after surgery. During an iron infusion, her insurance approved a cheaper drug with a higher risk of allergic reaction.

“It’s like high reaction where people can die from anaphylactic shock,” she says. “And sure enough, I said, ‘Anything changes, you feel different, let us know.’ And I did.”

The Onset of Perimenopause—and Dismissal

At age 38, Stephanie began experiencing severe brain fog and night sweats.

“I honestly started Googling Alzheimer's or dementia,” she says. “I was at the pharmacy drive-thru and I kid you not, I felt like I short-circuited. I thought, 'Do I roll up my window, or do I press drive?'”

When she brought up the possibility of perimenopause, she was told it was “overdiagnosed”—by a female doctor she otherwise respected. “I don’t think I was expecting that level of response,” she says. “I was quiet in that moment, but I didn’t stop there.”

Stephanie sought a second opinion and began hormone therapy. “They started me on estrogen, but it wasn’t enough,” she says. “So they put me on progesterone as well.”

She also learned that much of the fear around hormone therapy and breast cancer risk stems from outdated studies. “They’ve done more studies to show that actually at our age, if we start estrogen, we’re decreasing our risk for breast cancer,” she says.

Seeking Care That Actually Listens

Frustrated with traditional care models, Stephanie turned to Concierge Health of West Michigan. These providers had left large health systems to offer more personalized care.

“They stepped away from the insurance system,” she says. “They stepped away from the large privatized things like the Trinity and the Corewell because their care was not only dictated from the insurance company—it was dictated by the facility.”

For Stephanie, that change made all the difference. “They listen. They collaborate. It’s judgment-free,” she says. “You actually will save money because you have accessible healthcare right away.”

How to Fight Insurance Denials: Stephanie’s Guide

“Don’t accept no for an answer,” Stephanie says. “That’s really what it comes down to.”

Her step-by-step advice for challenging insurance denials:

1. Talk to your doctor’s office. “Ask if they’ve seen the denial before. Ask if they have a provider phone number—those are different from what’s on your insurance card.”

   
   

2. Look up your plan booklet. Use search terms like ‘appeal’ or ‘deny.’ There are opportunities we can find in there.”

   
   

3. File complaints with your state. Submit to your State Department of Insurance and Financial Services. Then send a copy of the complaint to the insurance company.”

   
   

4. Document everything and keep calling, “Don’t accept it on that first answer,” she says. “The only fight we have is to be tenacious.”

   
   

When Doctors Dismiss Symptoms

Stephanie stresses the importance of standing firm—even when your doctor brushes you off.

“You know your body. If it’s causing you to lose sleep… don’t let someone tell you it’s just stress,” she says. “You’re not being dramatic. This is a system that’s meant not to pay you.”

She encourages patients to present their full health picture when making appeals, not just a single symptom or diagnosis.

“Go all the way back to your menstrual history,” she says. “Tie in other symptoms. Show the full picture.”

On Medical Gaslighting

Stephanie knows how painful dismissal can be—especially when you’re scared and vulnerable.

“I was the first emergency visit with vertigo, and I couldn’t even talk. I was stumbling,” she says. “And they blamed it on anxiety. And I just kept on saying, ‘This is not anxiety. This is not anxiety.’”

She advises women to insist on further evaluation. “Ask, ‘If you don’t think this is perimenopause, what test can we do to prove it?’”

Stephanie hopes her story reminds others they are not alone. “There are good people out there,” she says. “Talk to somebody that will listen. Don’t stop until you’re heard.”