How to advocate for a mammogram under age 50: ‘Don’t be afraid to speak up’ – National

[Pelican Press 0]

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

How to advocate for a mammogram under age 50: ‘Don’t be afraid to speak up’ – National

Joeline Norgaard was 42 when she began feeling pain in her *******. Concerned, she spoke with her doctor, who took her symptoms seriously and referred her for a mammogram at a local imaging clinic in 2020.

However, when the Oakville, Ont., resident arrived, she said she was met with a chilly reception from one of the technicians.

“I was getting this distinct sense that it was almost skepticism. And she actually asked me towards the end of my procedure as to why I was there, as if I was wasting their time,” Norgaard told Global News.

In Canada, national guidelines recommend that women without known risk factors begin

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

. Norgaard wasn’t considered high-risk: she was healthy, had no family history of ******* ******* and her only symptom was the pain. Yet despite these guidelines, she felt compelled to act on her body’s signals, trusting that potential early detection was worth any skepticism she might face.

Story continues below advertisement

Joeline Norgaard (right) with her mother (left) and son (centre). Following her ******* ******* diagnosis, Norgaard underwent surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation and she is currently receiving hormone therapy.

Joeline Norgaard

Although that initial scan showed no concerning results, two years later, Norgaard felt a large lump in her right ******* and received the diagnosis she’d feared: ******* *******.

“The official diagnosis was invasive ductal carcinoma. And I was just in absolute shock; I was blindsided,” she said, adding that during her ******* journey, she had to self-advocate several times to ensure she received the support and treatment she needed.

Norgaard is one of the many Canadians affected by ******* *******; in 2024 alone,

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

in the country were newly diagnosed with the ********.

******* ******* is not only the most common ******* among ********* women but diagnoses in

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

are also on the rise.

With rising ******* ******* rates among younger women, groups like the ********* ******* Society and some provinces recommend starting self-referral for mammograms at 40. However, the ********* Task Force on Preventive Health Care still sets national screening standards at age 50.

Story continues below advertisement

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

2:01
Detecting ******* in dense ******* tissue

This discrepancy means that women in their 40s may need to advocate for themselves, experts say, as doctors and technicians may still follow the task force’s recommendations.

“Self-referral doesn’t mean that women are not going to face barriers,” said Jennie Dale, the executive director of Dense Breasts Canada. “Health-care providers may still perpetuate the messaging from the national guidelines, which say 50.”

What are the guidelines in your province?

Although the task force sets national guidelines, it is ultimately the provinces and territories that say when screening should begin — and many have already lowered the beginning age to 40.

Story continues below advertisement

Some provinces now allow self-referral at age 40, meaning women can get a mammogram without a doctor’s requisition, while other provinces still require a doctor’s note.

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Self-referral for a mammogram is allowed at age 40 in many provinces and territories — British Columbia, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, P.E.I., and Newfoundland and Labrador — with Saskatchewan soon joining the list.

Manitoba plans to lower the self-referral age to 45 by the end of 2025, and Alberta says regular mammograms are recommended for women aged 45 and up.

“We have a situation where fortunately most of Canada is moving towards self-referral,” Dale said. “And in the rest of the country, even if they don’t have self-referral, women are still allowed to get a mammogram with a requisition.”

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

6:00
How to access ******* ******* screenings in Ontario

However, she is concerned that, despite this option being available, the lack of a national standard may confuse physicians and patients.

Story continues below advertisement

Speaking at a

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

on Oct. 21, Dr. Paula Gordon, a clinical professor of radiology at the University of British Columbia, stated that despite many jurisdictions lowering their ******* screening age to 40, many women are still unaware.

“Even with all this progress, many women are still unaware they can self-refer and family doctors, who trust the task force, are not telling women about screening, and if they do, it’s often to discourage it,” she said.

“Women should receive an invitation letter on their 40th birthday informing them that they can now have screening mammograms. Currently, only Alberta sends invitations at age 45. ”

Why get a mammogram before 50?

The task force said it holds firm on its position not to lower the recommended due to concerns of over-diagnosis and unnecessary biopsies. The guidelines indicate that screening at a younger age may result in unnecessary treatments and anxiety surrounding imaging callbacks.

Story continues below advertisement

But Norgaard, who showed no significant early symptoms of ******* ******* and only discovered the tumour once it had grown, wonders why Canada’s national standards aren’t lowered to 40, allowing earlier potential detection for patients like her.

“If we’re hearing that the 30- and 40-year-old demographic is seeing an increase in ******* *******, then it doesn’t make sense to have women receive their first screening at the age of 50,” she said. “And tumours don’t grow overnight. It takes years for a tumour to become a detectable mass. But early detection is key.”

Around 13 per cent of ******* ******* cases in Canada occur in women aged 40 to 49, according to the ********* ******* Society, highlighting the importance of mammograms, which can detect cancerous tumours

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

before they can be felt.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

1:59
******* ******* screening decision sparks review of Canada’s task force

“Cancers in younger women grow and spread faster so it’s especially important that we find them earlier,” Gordon said during the committee meeting. “The years of lives saved by screening is greater for women in their 40s than any other decade, yet the task force still recommends that screening starts at age 50, perpetuating avoidable deaths and suffering.”

Trending Now

• Canadians split on handing out Halloween candy this year: poll

• Woman ******* after backing into moving airplane propeller in Kansas

Story continues below advertisement

And this is especially true for women of colour, who are more likely to

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

at younger ages.

But regular mammograms help find ******* early and lower the risk of dying from ******* *******, as well as going through harsh treatments like chemotherapy, said Kimberly Carson, the CEO of ******* ******* Canada.

“We encourage women to self-refer and take advantage of that because we know that the sooner we catch it the better the outcomes, unequivocally,” she said, “It’s a less invasive treatment. If we catch it at Stage 0 or Stage 1, it’s almost 100 per cent curable. There are just so many benefits to patients when we’re catching it early.”

When Norgaard found the lump in her right *******, her doctor immediately gave her a requisition for an ultrasound and mammogram. However, she said when she arrived at the lab the next day, she was met with a line outside the door and three visibly stressed receptionists.

Story continues below advertisement

“When it came to my turn, I was given an appointment … an evening appointment three months out,” she said.

Because of the size of the lump she found, Norgaard said she had a bad feeling that she couldn’t shake. She followed her “gut instinct,” asked to be put on a cancellation list and inquired about getting an earlier appointment, but was only advised to call other labs.

Norgaard shared that her ******* diagnosis has deeply impacted her son, leading him to seek counselling for his feelings of grief, uncertainty, and ***** of ******. She said that this is an ongoing conversation for them as they navigate her ******* journey.

Joeline Norgaard

Determined, she reached out to several facilities, unaware that not all performed ultrasounds and mammograms. Fortunately, she managed to secure an appointment the next day at a lab in Brampton, 40 minutes away.

“I still think of that receptionist as an angel for fitting me in,” she said, adding that if she had waited three months for her initial appointment, she believes “it definitely would have had an impact and possibly changed the outcome of my journey with *******.”

Story continues below advertisement

Norgaard emphasized the importance of self-advocacy in ******* health: ask questions, make suggestions and be an active participant in your care.

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

/applications/core/interface/js/spacer.png">

4:39
Gradual transition for ******* ******* screening services from age 50 to 40

“Don’t be afraid to speak up, if something doesn’t feel right … keep going until you’re satisfied with an answer,” she stressed.

Where to start to book an exam

If you want to self-refer or ask your doctor about getting a mammogram, Dale and Carson recommend communicating any concerns you have about your ******* health.

Story continues below advertisement

If you live in a province where self-referral is available, you don’t need a doctor’s requisition.

You can call or go online to find a nearby imaging place offering mammograms. For example, in Ontario you can call the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

, in B.C. you can contact the

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

g program and in Nova Scotia, you can contact

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

Dense Breasts Canada provides a complete list of

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

.

If you live in a province that requires a doctor’s referral, Dale suggests educating yourself on the importance of ******* screening in your 40s.

“We’re trying to tell women they need to be informed on their own,” Dale said. “Their doctor may be following the national guidelines and will be potentially dismissive. And that’s why you may hear that you don’t need to start until you’re 50.”

If you are feeling dismissed, she said to tell your health practitioners, “I want to find ******* ******* early and screening is about early detection. I have a family that relies on me. I matter to many people and I matter to myself. And I want the best chance of finding ******* ******* early.”

More on Health
More videos

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

#advocate #mammogram #age #Dont #afraid #speak #National

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up

This is the hidden content, please

• Sign In
• or
• Sign Up