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When should you get a mammogram? Conflicting advice makes it hard to know
National
AP

When should you get a mammogram? Conflicting advice makes it hard to know

  • By LAURAN NEERGAARD - AP Medical Writer
  • Updated

Deciding when to get a routine mammogram is confusing. Guidelines disagree on whether to begin at age 40, 45 or 50, and whether a yearly or every-other-year scan is best. New research aims to one day help tailor advice by using genetics and other factors to determine whether a woman's risk of breast cancer is low, high or somewhere in between. For now, experts say talk with your doctor about factors such as cancer in the family and your own health history to decide when to start screening — and then stick with it.

Recommended age to start breast cancer screenings has dropped and doctors see this as a good move
News

Recommended age to start breast cancer screenings has dropped and doctors see this as a good move

  • By Ellie Janszen
  • Updated

The recommended age for women to start screening for breast cancer has dropped, and a local doctor sees this as a good move to protect women. Ellie Janszen has the story. The American College of Radiology is recommending annual mammograms as the U.S. Preventative Task Force has lowered the age to get screened 10 years sooner from the past recommended age of 50 to age 40. The Lima Memorial Health System's Women's Health Center medical director, Dr. Darlene Weyer, says that with the change from 2009 guidelines, it is important to follow both the new year and age recommendations for mammograms.