Women in Ontario can now get mammograms 10 years sooner. Here's what you need to know
The minimum age to get a mammogram without a referral in Ontario is now 40
Now that Ontario women in their 40s can book a mammogram without a referral from their doctor — health professionals say they are already seeing a spike in demand and expect longer wait times.
The change officially went into effect in early October, after the province reduced the minimum age for breast cancer screening self-referrals from 50 to 40.
At Belle River Diagnostic Imaging, workers are ready for the influx.
Owner Mander Matharu says breast checks are very important, especially as bodies change with age.
"Early imaging, early intervention results in early prevention of breast cancer," she said.
What is a mammogram?
"So a mammogram is where they take your breast and and squeeze it between two plates and shoot an X-ray through," Matharu explained.
"We want to squeeze it so that we can get that X-ray going through to get a really good image to see what's going on. If you have dense breasts, that X-ray sometimes doesn't go through as clearly as if you had an older breast that wasn't as dense."
Does it hurt?
"It can be uncomfortable," Matharu admits.
"And with younger breasts, they're more dense. That can be painful because they have to squeeze it to almost being like flat as a pancake."
How should you prepare?
You cannot wear deodorant, body lotion, perfumes or powders of any kind, because they might show up on the image and create a false positive.
Can someone get a mammogram if they are breastfeeding?
You should not get a mammogram until at least three months after you've stopped breastfeeding, unless absolutely necessary.
How do you get your results?
Your doctor gets the results and you also get them in the mail.
With files from Amy Dodge