University says women should be advised of their Breast Density!!

@NoShrinkingViolet...they have deleted more than one comment I've made before regarding medicare paying from age 40 without referral from doctor. Once I had a token response along the lines of ....younger women...dense breasts...false positives and stress...blah blah blah. When I responded that I was sure most women would rather have a scare and not have cancer, than forgo the potential scare until too late. At that point, all was erased.

Hello everyone,

Please see information on BCNA's website regarding breast density.
https://www.bcna.org.au/breast-health-awareness/mammographic-density-and-screening/

BCNA are calling on the following areas of reform for women with dense breasts:

1. Extension of the WA BreastScreen program that advises all women with dense breasts that their screening mammogram is less sensitive to cancers and they should therefore be vigilant in looking for breast changes and speak to their GP if they would like further information on additional screening options such as breast ultrasound, tomosynthesis or breast MRI.
2. Improved Medicare rebates for women with dense breasts who need additional screening options such as breast MRI in order to reduce out-of-pocket costs associated with breast cancer surveillance.
3. Greater funding investment into automated programs that can better determine a woman’s levels of breast density to better assist her to make informed decisions based upon her individual risk.
4. Development of clinical practice guidelines for the management of breast density so that women can be better informed of what their risk of breast cancer is and how they can best screen for breast cancer.
5. Greater research into links between breast density and breast cancer risk.

@NoShrinkingViolet 😲😲😲😡😡😡

@arpie @AllyJay @Kattykit @Cath62  Scroll to the 15 April post on the BreastScreen NSW Facebook page to see a splendid example of its disabling the display of contra-arguments. https://www.facebook.com/BreastScreenNSW/ 

At last check there were 60 comments, with a majority criticising BreastScreen NSW's failure to promote the availability of screening mammograms for women starting at age 40.  There were a few comments critical of its failure to assess breast density and to screen dense breasts properly (unlike private clinics and BreastScreen WA).

BreastScreen NSW refuses to promote the fact that mammograms are freely available to the female residents and taxpayers of NSW from age 40.  For the 15 April thread, BreastScreen NSW disabled viewing of 'All comments' and restricted viewing to 'Most relevant'.  BreastScreen NSW restricts viewing in this manner carte blanche in order to extinguish a thread.

@arpie ✅✅✅. I knew my breasts were lumpy, but had no idea lumpy meant dense. They weren’t that full or perky, so even if I had known about density, I wouldn’t have thought that mind are. That’s how ignorant I was, and not by choice. When I told my GP in 2018 that I wanted another ultrasound (had had one in 2016), she said I didn’t need one, even though I told her my breasts were lumpy and I had no idea what was what, even if I did do self checks. She said if you feel anything suspicious, monitor it. I thought stuff it, it’s too confusing, and left praying that I wouldn’t get it or that I’d find it early if I did. Second thing happened. I was just lucky, not educated. We need to be more educated!

That really DOES suck! @Kattykit .... I guess we have always assumed, that the earlier it is found, hopefully the better the result - but sadly, we also now know that even the earliest detection doesn’t preclude us  from developing Stage 4. :(

They keep making ‘excuses’ for having dense breast tissue - that they are more dense when you are young and it will decrease in density as you get older, that breast feeding can cause it - and you can inherit it ... bullshit - they haven’t got a clue, they than they KNOW it can cause a delay in detection and knowingly refuse to do anything about it.  I was 65 when my tumours were found - how old do you have to be before they start becoming less dense? .... I had my first ‘cyst scare’ in my 20s and was told then that I had lumpy breasts (euphemism for dense breasts.)  So I’ve ALWAYS had dense breast tissue - but until joining this site, I had no idea of the increased danger it represented re BC and that it delays the finding of the tumours .... and that made me SO ANGRY!

If they suddenly found something that helped identify testicular and Prostate cancer a lot earlier ... I bet they’d be broadcasting it from the hilltops!

The Yanks are advising women of their breast density .... so should we!
https://www.allinahealth.org/healthysetgo/heal/should-you-worry-about-that-breast-density-letter

Oh @kittykat that sucks. Sending hugs 🙏.

 It should be aged 40 for every woman  at least to find out if they do have dense breasts so they can have both mammogram and ultrasounds yearly from aged 40. If a woman's mother had dense breasts that too should enable early screening to detect bc early. I live in qld. I had a mammogram at 40 and from that time my gp said I should have a yearly mammogram and ultrasound but I didn't understand why and I never knew I was in a high risk group. 

Whenever I see the adverts from breastscreen Aust I get my pen out and change the 50 to 40, I'm in WA so we are informed about dense breasts but they still don't let women younger than 50 know they are eligible for free screening. 
Having said that I was living in country NSW when I was first diagnosed,  my original tumour was 7cm so I wonder if my earlier screening would have found it if I'd been offered an ultrasound. I guess I'll never know, its too late now anyway I'm stage 4, that horse has definitely bolted.

I never knew of the connection between dense breast tissue and breast cancer. I had dense breasts and cysts. My cancer cells were aggressive.  lump 2cm, no lymph involvement. Surgery, chemo  radium and now tamoxifen. My cancer was found at my mammogram and ultrasound annual check. I also didn't know tamoxifen reduces breast density and there has been some discussion that it could be used at a preventive for women that have dense breasts. 

@AllyJay They what???!!? 😡😡😡 I’m one of those women diagnosed under 40. I had no idea we could have mammograms, or that we should. Clueless. Cheap bastards 🤬🤬🤬🤬