Mammograms in 40s

[Anonymous]

I keep seeing conflicting info. How often should women in their 40s get mammograms?

[Anonymous]

I do every year.

[Anonymous]

Annually.

[Anonymous]

I do one every year, when apparently I should be doing a mammo and an ultrasound or MRI, rotated every 6 months, because of my family history.

It's not painful if you schedule your mammo during the first half of your cycle, and you take a Tylenol 30 min before the exam.

[Anonymous]

I had a baseline at 40 but haven’t had another. I’m 42 and probably should.

[Anonymous]

Breast cancer in younger women is on the rise, insurance will cover it yearly so that’s what I would recommend, as someone whose breast cancer was detected at an early stage on a mammogram.

[Anonymous]

I am 65 and still getting them annually.

[Anonymous]

Some medical groups recommend waiting til 45 or 50 if you don’t have risk factors. Most of the physicians I know say we are massively over screening and it isn’t resulting in better outcomes but most women I know who are not physicians are going every year.

[Anonymous]

Breast cancer survivor here. Diagnosed via mammogram at age 45. I understand the debate about over screening but I had no risk factors. Early detection saved my life. Strong believer in annual screening.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Some medical groups recommend waiting til 45 or 50 if you don’t have risk factors. Most of the physicians I know say we are massively over screening and it isn’t resulting in better outcomes but most women I know who are not physicians are going every year.

The problem is that nearly everyone knows someone who either caught it early, or waited and didn't. And the majority of breast cancer patients have no known genetic link so you are basically rolling dice.

I don't know how the "better outcomes" are being measured but nobody wants to be the person who could have caught it and didn't.

[Anonymous]

BFF has a mammogram on her 47th birthday no family history, slender, only occasionally drank, exercised and happy birthday double mastectomy for you. 15 minute mammogram could save your life.

[Anonymous]

When I was in my 40s, there were conflicting recommendations. ACS said yearly at 40, ACOG said yearly at 45, USPSTF said yearly at 50.

I am low-risk and waited to 48 to start. During that time, I was being periodically reminded by FB friends who had caught DCIS or even higher-stage breast cancers via mammograms done early how important it was to do this.

Usually these folks did not share information about their own risk factors, which can be quantified using this tool: https://magview.com/ibis-risk-calculator/ (warning: it's a long intake--quite thorough).

To date, I have not gotten breast cancer, and earlier mammograms would not have impacted any breast cancer I might eventually get. It was a good choice for me.

[Anonymous]

It's not worth it if you are low risk. I will not start until I hit 55.

[Anonymous]

I have high risk factors so I have been getting mammograms since my 30s. I end up spacing them about 18 months apart.

My last appointment, door to door, was an hour. It’s not a very big deal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Breast cancer in younger women is on the rise, insurance will cover it yearly so that’s what I would recommend, as someone whose breast cancer was detected at an early stage on a mammogram.

Same. A mammogram caught my breast cancer at 43. Surgery, radiation, and tamoxifen. No chemo because it was caught early. Get your mammograms!