1. Diagnosed as a younger woman
While breast cancer is not common in younger women, around 5,000 women aged 45 or younger are diagnosed with breast cancer in the UK each year.
Being diagnosed with breast cancer can be overwhelming and you may struggle to take in what you’re being told.
You might feel shocked, scared, angry and upset. All these feelings are normal.
It might help to talk them through with a friend, relative or your breast care nurse. And you can always call our helpline to speak to one of our trained nurses about your concerns or worries.
You may also find it helpful to read our information on coping with breast cancer emotionally.
Telling other people
You might be worried about telling people about your breast cancer diagnosis and how they may react.
You might find it hard to talk about your diagnosis or feel like you do not have all the information to give people just yet. But talking about your cancer can sometimes help you cope with what’s happening and make it easier for people around you to support you.
You may prefer to only tell a few close people or ask others to help you pass the information on. Who you tell and how you tell them is up to you and there’s no right or wrong way.
Other people might be shocked when you tell them, especially if they didn’t know that younger women can get breast cancer.
Sometimes people say insensitive, hurtful or incorrect things without meaning to, or do not say anything at all. This is usually because they feel upset, awkward or do not know how to help or what to say.
Telling your children
Many younger women who are diagnosed with breast cancer say their first thoughts are about their children.
Deciding when and what to tell your children can be difficult, but you know your children better than anyone else.
Evidence suggests that children are less frightened if they know what’s happening, even if they do not fully understand.
Find out more about talking to children about breast cancer.
Telling my children was one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I explained that I had a lump and that my whole breast was going to be gone. I was completely open and honest with them both but neither had many questions, other than if my breast was going to grow back. We forget how resilient and amazing children are.
2. Treating breast cancer in younger women
You may be offered a combination of treatments including:
- Surgery
- Chemotherapy
- Radiotherapy
- Hormone (endocrine) therapy
- Ovarian suppression (stopping the ovaries from working either temporarily or permanently)
- Targeted therapy
- Bisphosphonates (these may be offered with ovarian suppression or if the ovaries have been removed)
The treatment you’re offered will depend on the type of breast cancer you have and the features of your cancer.
Your treatment team will meet to discuss your treatment options. This is called a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting. Your treatment team will then discuss your treatment plan with you. This will be based on your individual situation so may look different to someone else’s treatment plan.
You may be offered a choice of treatments. It can be hard to decide what’s best, but you can discuss any questions you may have with your treatment team.
3. Possibility of early menopause
Menopausal symptoms and breast cancer
Some breast cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy, can cause menopausal symptoms. Find out more, including ways to cop...
The menopause is the time when a woman stops having periods and is no longer able to get pregnant. This usually happens naturally between the ages of 45 and 55, and on average at the age of 51.
Some treatments may cause an early menopause in women who have not already been through the menopause naturally (premenopausal women). This may be distressing if you were hoping to have children.
Some treatments will not cause an early menopause but may cause the symptoms associated with it.
Treatments such as chemotherapy and hormone therapy can cause menopausal symptoms like hot flushes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, joint pain, poor concentration and mood changes.
Talk with your treatment team if you have menopausal symptoms. They may be able to help you manage them or refer you to a specialist menopause clinic for further advice and support.
4. Fertility, pregnancy and breast cancer treatment
Some breast cancer treatments, such as chemotherapy can affect your ability to become pregnant (your fertility).
It’s important to discuss any fertility concerns with your treatment team before you begin your treatment.
Your treatment team should offer you a referral to a fertility specialist to discuss the option of preserving your fertility.
It can be difficult to decide what options are best for you and making a decision might feel overwhelming.
Learn more about options for preserving fertility before and during treatment.
My treatment team really helped to put my mind at ease and supported me to make an informed decision. I went ahead and had fertility preservation. It gave me hope for my future and I don’t regret it. My tip would be to have those conversations as soon as you can.
Pregnancy after breast cancer treatment
If you’re able to get pregnant and have a baby after your breast cancer treatment, there’s no evidence that you’re at increased risk of the cancer returning. There’s also no evidence that there are any health risks for children born after breast cancer treatment.
Many treatment teams advise waiting for 2 years after treatment has finished before becoming pregnant. This is because the possibility of the cancer coming back can reduce over time, and you may be at greatest risk in the first 2 years after diagnosis.
Find out more about pregnancy after breast cancer.
Diagnosed during pregnancy
If you’re diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy, you can usually have effective treatment for your breast cancer without it affecting your baby’s development.
Most women continue their pregnancy while having breast cancer treatment.
Your treatment team and obstetrician (doctor who specialises in pregnancy and birth) or midwife can give you information and support.
5. Younger women, family history and genes
Genetic testing for altered breast cancer genes
Learn all about genetic testing for breast cancer, which is used to find out whether an altered gene, such as BRCA1 or BRCA2, runs in the fa...
Sometimes, someone’s family history suggests they and other family members could be at increased risk of developing breast cancer. This is known as having a significant family history.
A significant family history may mean there’s a chance that there’s an inherited altered gene in that family that increases the risk of breast cancer.
Around 5 to 10% of women with breast cancer have inherited an altered gene.
Having breast cancer at a younger age can also mean there’s an increased risk of having an altered breast cancer gene.
If you’re worried about your family history or your risk of having an altered gene, talk to your treatment team.
6. Support for younger women with breast cancer
Being diagnosed with breast cancer as a younger woman can feel isolating. But you don’t have to cope with your feelings alone. We’ve got support and information to help you connect with others who really get it and share your concerns.
Younger Women Together
Our face-to-face and online Younger Women Together events give tailored support and the chance to meet people who understand what you’re going through, in a space that’s just for women aged 18-45.
And if you have secondary breast cancer, Younger Women with Secondaries Together is there for you. You can join one of our online or in-person events to hear from expert speakers and meet other women your age who really get it.
Someone Like Me
Our Someone Like Me service matches people with a primary breast cancer diagnosis to a trained volunteer who’s had a similar experience to you. They'll be a phone call or email away to answer your questions, offer support or simply listen. Whatever you need to talk about. Because there’s nothing like finding someone who really understands what you’re going through.
You are not alone, even if you think you are you are. I found the Someone Like Me service amazing and it really helped me to talk things through with someone of a similar age that knew and understood what I was going through.
You can also ask questions and exchange tips with other younger women on our forum.
Contact a nurse
You can also call our free helpline to talk to one of our nurses. If you don’t want to talk on the phone, our nurses are also available by email. See below for how to get in touch.
