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. You know that a mammogram is not enough for you. Additional screening with ultrasound or MRI can find cancers missed on mammogram. You will need a requisition but in some provinces, you will have to advocate for yourself. We outline in detail what to discuss with your doctor on Get Informed under the section “What If I Have Dense Breasts?” and there are 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. That's also what the breast screening guidelines state. Your choice. It is highly recommended by experts to do so since 17% of breast cancers happen in the 40s and these cancers are more fuelled by hormones and thus more aggressive.
If you live in a province where you still need a requisition at 40 (AB, SK, ON, QC, MB. NWT) then please check out the conversation tips for speaking with your health care provider about a mammogram starting at 40 in our Advocacy Toolkit.
Spread the word.
Tell other women about dense breasts.
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 the importance of starting mammograms at 40 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 diagnosed 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 help in every province to raise awareness and advocate for better screening. There is no time commitment. We are also 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 second website mybreastscreening.ca
Share with your healthcare provider: A list of studies on the importance of screening at 40. Please ask your healthcare provider to check out breast screening guidelines made by experts responsiblehealthcareguidelines.ca
Demand action.
ADVOCACY IN ACTION We have made great progress in Canada on breast density notification coast to coast. We are just waiting on NL to begin in Summer 2024. In QC and SK, the information is online in each woman's health booklet. We have also made great progress on screening starting at 40. We are advocating in MB and QC to join the rest of the country. Note: AB and NWT begin at 45.
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. 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 or MRI and that women in all provinces can self-refer for a mammogram starting at age 40.
CANADIAN BREAST CANCER SCREENING GUIDELINES 2024
Advocacy is ongoing with regards to the reckless 2024 draft breast screening guidelines. All federal parties are in agreement that the guidelines are dangerous and must be revised. We are also advocating that the body that made the guidelines- the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care- be disbanded. The Task Force lacks accountability, transparency, ethics oversight, scientific rigor, expert input and objectivity. You can read about the issues on our screening guidelines page. Please consider writing to Minister Mark Holland.
