Advocate for yourself. You are your own best advocate.

Your healthcare provider may not be up-to-date on the risks of dense breasts. You are. Here's how to have a conversation with your provider.
You know that women with dense breasts face a higher risk of cancer and that cancer can be missed on mammogram because both dense tissue and cancer appear white. We have conversation tips for you. We outline in detail what to discuss with your doctor on Get Informed under the section “What If I Have Dense Breasts?” and the conversation tips can be found in our  Advocacy ToolKit. 

Your healthcare provider may not be aware that the decision to screen at 40 is a woman's decision based on her values and preferences, as stated in the breast screening guidelines made for health care providers. Yes, it is your choice.
No woman in Canada should be denied a requisition. If you live in a province where you cannot self-refer at 40, it is your decision to have a mammogram in your 40s. And it is highly recommended by experts to do so since 17% of breast cancers happen in the 40s and these cancers are more aggressive, fuelled by hormones. Check out the conversation tips for speaking with your health care provider about a mammogram starting at 40 in our Advocacy Toolkit.

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Spread the word.

Tell other women.
Ask friends, family and colleagues if they have heard about breast density. If not, tell them why it’s important. Encourage women to find out their density. Details by province can be found here.

Do you know women in their 40s? Please encourage them to start mammograms. Details on their importance on our our FAQ page. Do you know women 74+, please encourage them to continue screening. Read more at mybreastscreening.ca

Share your story on our website.
If your cancer diagnosis was delayed because you have dense breasts, or if you were denied a mammogram in your 40s, please share your story. We'd also love to  hear about cancers being found early! Stories are empowering and impactful for others. Please email us: info@densebreastscanada.ca OR upload your story on our page here.

Join our team.
We are looking for members from every province to help us raise awareness and advocate for density notification. There is much to be done.  There  is no time commitment. We are looking for volunteers with expertise in marketing, communication, government relations, community engagement and social media.

Follow & Share
Please follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and share our posts. Visit our new website mybreastscreening.ca 

Share with your healthcare provider: A list of studies on the importance of screening at 40

Demand action.

Media release re breast cancer screening guidelines update NC.June 9 2023

READ OUR LATEST MEDIA RELEASE ON THE BREAST SCREENING GUIDELINES

We have made great progress in Canada on breast density notification in the past two years.  Currently ON, BC, AB, MB, NS, NB and PEI are directly informing ALL women in their mammogram results letters mailed to them.  NL and SK are updating software.  Healthcare providers are being told the patient's breast density. You can ask your provider if you are not in a province that currently informs all women. In QC, the information is online in each woman's health booklet. Advocacy continues for all women across Canada to be directly informed. We are getting there!

HOW DOES YOUR PROVINCE RATE ON 5 OPTIMAL BREAST SCREENING PRACTICES?

Check out our latest report Comparing breast screening practices across the country.

LETTERS TO POLITICIANS

Please see the footer for the letter for your province and please take a minute to send it in. Letters are also found in the Advocacy Toolkit. Please consider sharing the letter with your contacts. The more letters that get sent in, the more impactful.  Your Health Minister's address is below.

Also, advocacy continues to ensure that women in Canada with dense breasts can access screening ultrasound and that women in all provinces can self-refer for a mammogram starting at age 40. Please contact us if you are interested in advocating with us.

 

Please Add Your Voice 

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