Hi there

I'm so sorry to read about your mum and family. It's so much to go through and I wanted send you lots of hugs and strength.

Sounds like a great idea to speak to your GP for some advice as I'm sure they will be able to give you some and help.

I'm much older than you (42) and was diagnosed with breast cancer this year. I lost my mum in my 20s to a different type of cancer so I didn't qualify for the testing criteria (didn't have any family history) but I paid to have it done - mainly because I have a daughter myself and there is a lot of breast cancer on her father's side.

The consultant I saw told me that the gene mutations can develop when you're older (you're not necessarily born with them from the off) and she advised that even if I did have BRACA or other mutations, my daughter would benefit from testing when she was older, eg at around 30, as that's when it would be more helpful. She also said her cancer risk would be much lower before that age too, even if she had a gene mutation. I didn't have any gene mutations but I think she will qualify for testing hopefully anyway because I was diagnosed quite young.

This is only my personal experience but just wanted to share what I'd been told in case it's of help to you. I hope you have a supportive GP who you can have a good conversation with. You could also try the breast cancer phone helplines as I imagine they are very knowledgeable about all this.

all the very best to you xxx

Hello there and thanks for posting

I am sorry to hear you lost your mum so young and so quickly to breast cancer and can appreciate your own concerns about your health with other family members also having had cancer.

When cancer is in the family, people often assume that this greatly increases their risk of developing it, but this isn't necessarily so. Although the genes we inherit may influence our risk, other things do as well. No one is risk free and the risk of breast cancer increases for all women as we get older.

Breast cancer risks and causes are explained on our website at this link. You will see that a family history can increase the risk of breast cancer but not always by very much. This can depend on how close the affected relatives were and how young they were when they developed the cancer.

Depending on the family history your GP can refer you on to a breast clinic for a risk assessment or tell you that your risk is much the same as average. I think given your history your GP should take this seriously and refer you on so your risk can be assessed and if they think genetic testing is possible for you. Anyone over 18 can be considered for this.

It is worth reading the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance for women with breast cancer in the family. You can find this here.

I hope this is helpful but do get back if you need to.

Wishing you all the best

Naomi