You are here: Home > Breast cancer & breast health > Living with breast cancer > Younger women > Standards of care for younger women
Breast Cancer Care has developed standards of care for younger women to make sure their specialist needs are not overlooked during treatment. These standards provide information about key issues younger women may want to discuss with the health professionals involved in their breast cancer treatment and care. They also advise on the kind of information and support younger women with breast cancer should have access to.
As a younger woman with breast cancer you should:
1. Receive treatment and care from health professionals who are sensitive to the specific issues and concerns that you may face as a younger woman with breast cancer
2. Have the opportunity to be put in contact with other younger women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. You should also be told about long-term sources of support for younger women
3. Be offered the opportunity to discuss some of the complex life decisions you may be facing in a supportive environment with a skilled counsellor, especially if you are having difficulty coping with making major life decisions sooner than you expected
4. Be given an explanation of the risk of menopausal irregularity or early menopause as a result of some treatments. You should also be given advice on coping with an early menopause or the menopausal side effects of treatment
5. Be given a full explanation during initial treatment discussions about the possible impact of treatment on fertility. This should include advice about contraception and pregnancy after treatment
6. If appropriate, be given full information about any possibilities for preserving fertility. This should include information about chances of success from fertility treatment and the possible impact of delaying breast cancer treatment
7. Be offered counselling if you are diagnosed with breast cancer during pregnancy or within a year of giving birth to help you cope with the situation. If you have to be treated with chemotherapy during pregnancy you should have access to a specialist with experience in this area
8. Be fully informed of the potential impact some treatments may have on your bone health, and advised of possible management strategies to minimise this impact
9. Have as full a family history taken as possible with respect to cancer risk. If appropriate you should be offered a referral to a genetic service for testing and counselling
10. Be supplied with information about any local sources of support to help you with childcare arrangements during your hospital visits or recovery
11. Be given the opportunity to be put in touch with specialist advisers to discuss the financial implications associated with breast cancer. These might include employment rights, state benefits, coping with a loss of income and implications for mortgages and insurance.