When Should You Have a Mamogram?
Many of you asked us about the revised breast cancer screening guidelines that were released by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) in 2009 and received much attention in the media. You should know that the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the American Cancer Society have not changed their guidelines. Generally, these are the guidelines with which Women’s Healthcare Associates has been in agreement.
Our priority is always our patients’ health. This means we will consult with you on an individual basis and provide you with the reliable information you need to make decisions. Some women, with higher risk histories, will choose more frequent screening. Others, such as younger women with low-risk histories, may choose less frequent screening. The choice is both personal and individual. We are here to help provide the information you need to understand and decide.
American Cancer Society Guidelines
The American Cancer Society recommends the following schedule for breast health:
- Beginning in your 20s, conduct a breast health self-exam monthly. Women should know how their breasts feel and report any change to their health care provider. In addition, from ages 20 to 39, women should have a clinical breast examination by a professional every three years.
- Beginning at age 40, have an annual mammogram and an annual clinical breast examination by a professional.
- If you have a family history of breast cancer or fit other high-risk criteria, consult with your provider and have an MRI and a mammogram every year.
Click to learn more about the American Cancer Society.
American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists Guidelines
ACOG currently continues to recommend:
- Screening mammography every 1 to 2 years for women aged 40 to 49.
- Screening mammography every year for women age 50 or older.
- Breast Self-Examination for its potential to detect palpable breast cancer.
Click to learn more about the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Guidelines
The new USPSTF guidelines are as follows:
- The USPSTF recommends against routine screening mammography in women aged 40 to 49. The decision to start regular, biennial screening mammography before age 50 should be an individual one and take patient context into account— including the patient's values regarding specific benefits and harms. According to the USPSTF, such harms could include the traumatic worry of false positives as well as unnecessary additional mammography and biopsies.
- The USPSTF recommends biennial screening mammography for women aged 50 to 74.
- The USPSTF recommends against teaching breast self-examination; USPSTF studies indicated that breast self-examination did not reduce cancer mortality, yet did increase unnecessary imaging and biopsies.
Click to read more about the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.
Go back to Breast Health and Disease Screening (Mammography).