Young women

What does being a young woman mean?

In relation to treatment, the breast cancer world generally refers to pre-menopausal women as 'young', as the treatment options can be different according to menopausal status.

"My breast cancer diagnosis came out of the blue, it was a real shock. A young woman in her 20s or 30s is not thinking about dying. Breast cancer forced me to examine the issue of my mortality. At the time I would have preferred to be making decisions like 'what movie will I see?' " -- Laura

The most recent statistics about the ages of women diagnosed with breast cancer are from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare report, Breast Cancer in Australia: an Overview, 2009, and relate to 2006 data. (It takes some time to collate and analyse the data).

Age group Number of Australian women diagnosed  % of all women diagnosed *
20 to 34 yrs 253 2%
35 to 49 yrs 2829 22%
50 yrs + 9531  75.5%

* Total number of women diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006 was 12,614. Only 1 woman under the age of 20 was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006, which is less than one percent of all diagnoses. 

Many people think that there has been an increase in the numbers of young women diagnosed with breast cancer (possibly due to extensive media coverage of high profile young women with breast cancer over recent years).

However statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that the numbers of women under the age of 40 diagnosed with breast cancer have remained between 11 and 13 per 100,000 women, for the last 25 years*.

Source: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare& National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre 2009. Breast Cancer in Australia: an overview, 2009. Cancer series no. 50. Cat. no. CAN 46. Canberra: AIHW.

Key issues

Young and pregnant

Although the incidence of breast cancer during pregnancy is rare, it can happen. Treatment options may be different. Radiotherapy is often not recommended due to the risk to the unborn baby, so some women choose to have a mastectomy instead of breast conservation surgery. If chemotherapy is required, some women choose to wait until after the birth of their child, although recent studies show more women undertaking chemotherapy during the second and third trimesters. 

Fertility

The impact of chemotherapy and hormone therapy may reduce a woman’s fertility and chance of having children in the future. There are a number of factors which contribute to this issue, including a woman’s age, and the type of treatment she has and how it affects her ovaries. There are a number of methods for preserving fertility, which may or may not be applicable to your situation. If you are planning to become pregnant in the future, or even if you haven't given children much thought, it's best to consider some of these options before you start treatment. These include mature egg freezing, embryo freezing, ovarian tissue freezing, medications and using a donor egg.

Fertility-related Choices: A Decision Aid for Younger Women with Early Breast Cancer is a free booklet for young women who have recently been diagnosed with early breast cancer.

This booklet may be helpful to you if you:

  • have recently been diagnosed with early breast cancer
  • are still of reproductive age (having regular periods and no menopausal symptoms), and
  • are thinking of starting a family or having more children in the future.

This booklet contains information about cancer treatment, how it can affect fertility, and fertility options to consider. There are also some worksheets to help you think about these issues. You can download a digital copy below, or order a free hard copy through our online store or by phoning BCNA on 1800 500 258.

Early menopause

Some chemotherapy and hormonal therapies can reduce the level of oestrogen produced in the ovaries, causing your periods to stop temporarily or can bring about permanent early menopause. This generally depends on your age and the medications you are given, but if you have not yet reached menopause, you should discuss this with your doctor before treatment. Early menopause can bring with it uncomfortable side effects, such as hot flushes or vaginal dryness. Talk to your doctor about ways to manage these side effects.

Clinical trials for young women

See the clinical trials page for information on clinical trials specifically for young women.

More information

 

Other resources

Publications

Websites

  • Young Survival Coalition is an international organisation dedicated to the concerns and issues that are unique to young women with breast cancer and includes a bulletin board for support.
  • Sharsheret is an organisation of cancer survivors dedicated to addressing the uniques challenges facing young Jewish women living with breast cancer.
  • The US-based Hope for two, the pregnant with cancer website.
  • The US-based Fertile Hope website has a downloadable booklet that contains information about your fertility risks, parenthood options, and pregnancy after breast cancer

Support groups

Downloads

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Our online network

If you would like to share your experiences with others, then you might like to join our online network.

The online network gives you the ability to connect with individuals and groups of people in similar situations, regardless of location.

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