When and How Often Should You Get a Mammogram?

How old should you be when you start getting mammograms?

For a while now, many people, including the American Cancer Society, said that women should be getting a mammogram screening starting at the age of 40, and should be doing so every one to two years. Then in 2009, a government panel reported that women wouldn’t need to start getting mammograms until the age of 50. Script totally flipped. The recommended age has gone up and down over the years at a confusing rate, and while some say waiting until you reach 50 is a good look, with breast cancer being the first and most common cancer (according to the CDC), the exact age is really up in the air to many.

But now, a new study, published today in the Annals of Internal Medicine, says that women should be getting mammograms them when they personally feel is best. It’s up to you now ladies! Especially since screening too much can incur big costs, and exposure to radiation more than necessary isn’t the best idea. However, researchers say that while going off of your own preferences, you should still be taking into consideration your family health history in regards to breast cancer, your age (the older you are, the more you should try and get tested), and especially, the weight of your breast. The more tissue in a heavier breast, the more likely it seems that women get breast cancer.

While they say it should be up to the woman how often she should go in for screenings based on her own personal medical history and more, it is still recommended by the researchers of this study that women get their first screening at most at the age of 40 to figure out the density of their breasts. That way, a screening plan can be set up based on the size of your chest, whether that means coming in once a year, every two years or more.

This study was based around women age 40 and up, but the younger you are when you start checking your breast the better, and if necessary, you can move on to a mammogram. It’s all the more important if your family has a history of breast cancer. And if your chest is a lot larger and heavier than most, and you feel lumps, it might not hurt to get started a little earlier. Breast self-exams are always recommended, and if you feel something irregular (outside from the large lumps usually found in breasts), you should definitely go get screened before the big 4-0. But as this study pretty much states, to each their own.

Source: Madame Noire