Toby turns 50: What's her healthcare priority?

Toby, from Beach Mornings on 103.1 Beach Radio, recently turned 50, and one of her priorities was to do something she'd never done before: get a mammogram.

The risk of breast cancer increases as you get older and over 80% of breast cancers in BC are found in women 50 years and older.

Toby spoke with Dr. Brenda Farnquist about concerns that fewer women are going for a mammography, driven in part by a fear of radiation exposure and the discomfort of the very quick process.

Check out the video.

The Breast Screening Program utilizes standard two-view bilateral mammography (x-ray of the breast) for breast cancer screening. Women ages 40-74 may self-refer to the program; however, it is recommended that by age 50, average-risk women have a screening mammogram every two years.

Dr. Farnquist said those women at potentially higher risk, for example if they have a relative with breast cancer, should be screened annually from the age of 40.