- Hello, I'm Dr. Maya Haddon.
Thanks for joining us for our video,
Early Onset Breast Cancer, Part Three,
Talking To Your Doctor and Genetic Counseling.
If you haven't seen parts one and two,
I suggest watching them first.
As a breast cancer survivor, I understand that
it's not always easy to talk to your doctor
about your worries and fears concerning breast cancer risk.
These conversations can be tough,
and many of my patients have been afraid to bring up
their concerns because they thought I'd just dismiss them.
So let's talk about ways to make the conversation easier,
and what the next steps might look like
if your doctor does determine that you may have
an increased risk of early onset breast cancer.
It is so important for your breast and ovarian health,
as well as your overall health, to have a doctor
who you are comfortable with who you see on a regular basis.
The next time you see your doctor,
consider bringing up what you've learned
about breast and ovarian cancers.
You can start the conversation with your doctor by sharing
information that may affect your breast cancer risk,
as mentioned in early onset breast cancer part two,
risk reduction and warning signs.
When you talk to your doctor, don't be afraid
to keep raising your concerns if you don't feel heard.
Just remember that this is a conversation
between you and your doctor, where you feel that
your concerns and questions are being addressed
and you are listening to what your doctor has to say.
When you have these conversations,
you may learn that you have more risk factors
than you thought, which can be scary and overwhelming.
To help keep track of everything in your follow-up
appointments, I recommend bringing a friend
or family member with you to your appointment.
The support is nice to have,
and they can help you remember things
or remind you of something you may forget in the moment.
Taking notes that you can refer to later.
A lot of my patients like to come in
with a list of questions they've prepared in advance.
After all, we've all been in that moment
when you've just gotten home, you're walking up to your door
and boom, you remember something you wanted to ask
someone you were talking to earlier.
Let me assure you, there is no such thing
as a bad or stupid question,
so don't be afraid to ask your doctors anything.
Together, you and your doctor can develop
a personalized strategy to address your risk.
For a list of questions to help you start
the conversation with your doctor,
check out the resources section.
If you have a family history of cancer,
your doctor may refer you to a genetic counselor.
I strongly encourage you to make that appointment.
A genetic counselor can help you build out your family
history of cancer, talk to you about genetic testing,
and help you figure out what steps are right for you.
While it may be challenging to have these conversations
with your doctor, they are important for your wellbeing.
For more information about any of these topics,
please visit the resources section in the video description.
Now let's talk for a moment about genetic testing.
Genetic testing can reveal if you have any
genetic changes or mutations, like the BRCA Gene mutation,
that increase your chances of developing breast cancer.
Making the choice to get a genetic test can be scary.
That choice to get tested is always up to you,
but the genetic counselor can help you decide.
And remember, while a gene mutation does increase your risk,
it is not a certainty.
If it turns out you do have genetic risk, the counselor
can advise you on what to do next to minimize it.
This could include active surveillance
with regular tests like mammograms or breast MRIs,
medication, or surgery.
The most important thing for you to understand
is that all of these things, your doctor,
genetic counselor, and any genetic testing results
you receive are there to help you build
an action plant to address your risk.
While it may be challenging to have these conversations
with your doctor, they are important for your wellbeing.
Thank you for watching and taking the time
to learn about early onset breast cancer.