Being diagnosed with breast cancer as a young woman can be an especially tough and sometimes lonely experience. It’s more unusual for women under 40 to get breast cancer, but it does happen. However, there are fewer people your own age to discuss your experience with and you may feel more isolated and less able to make use of support groups. 

If you are diagnosed at a young age, the shock may be greater and you may feel a greater sense of “why me?”  Sometimes women who are diagnosed with breast cancer at a young age have a more aggressive form of the disease so you may feel unsure of your ability to fight it and scared of what the future may hold.

Your concerns may be different from those of older women who get breast cancer.  On these pages you'll find information on some of the common issues that young women grapple with when they are diagnosed with breast cancer. 

Some of these issues, include:

You may experience some of these or none of these.  Remember everyone is different and some issues will be more relevant for you than for others. 

Click here to view a video of a Q and A session on Breast Cancer and Young Women, run by Breast Cancer Trials.

Support from other young women

As a young woman with breast cancer you may find the traditional support groups do not meet your needs.  You may find yourself talking with women much older than yourself who do not relate to the issues you’re concerned about. 

It can also be isolating talking with your own peer group who have no concept of what you are going through.  Their concerns may seem trivial and unimportant to you. 

You can always seek help and advice from a professional counsellor and this may be a good way to discuss your concerns with someone neutral and objective.  Remember also, that although women in support groups may be older they are likely to have experienced the same kinds of treatment regimes so can relate to the physical and mental stresses of treatment.

If you’d like to get in touch with other young women with breast cancer, you could try joining and posting on BCAC's Facebook Group. One of our member groups, Shocking Pink, is a Christchurch-based group set up to support young women with breast cancer. To contact them please email them at info@shockingpink.org.nz.

Another BCAC member group, Breast Cancer Support Aotearoa, offers individual and group support for anyone diagnosed with breast cancer. For more information visit their website here, contact them here, or call them on 0800 273 222.

BCAC member group Aotearoa NZ Breast Cancer Community is an online community for New Zealand women of all ages with breast cancer to connect and share information and support. Visit their website here and their Facebook page here. Anyone with a breast cancer diagnosis (at any time) is welcome to join their private Facebook group, contact aotearoanzbreastcancercommunity@gmail.com.

Sometimes reading about others' experiences is helpful. "It's not (just) about the breast. The cancer road less walked. A young woman's cancer story." is Aussie physio Petrina Burnett's personal story of being diagnosed with inherited breast cancer at 31. You can read our review here and contact us at bcac@breastcancer.org.nz for a free copy of her book.

You might also like to check out these websites and groups that offer advice and information for young women with breast cancer.

In addition to the information above, you might also like to check out our other support pages on living with breast cancer and life after breast cancer, which have helpful tips and advice on coping with the emotional and physical challenges of breast cancer.

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