29 Aug Mammogram in your 40s?
Post by Dr. Holly Hagglund, ND
Are you a woman in your 40s whose never had a mammogram? You are not alone, but that may be about to change. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPTF) released a statement recently recommending that breast cancer screening in women begin at age 40. The previous recommendation was to start at age 50.
Before these new guidelines were proposed, I encouraged women to get at least one mammogram while in their 40s because it’s helpful to have a baseline from which to compare in the future. Now the research is showing that lowering the screening age to 40 can have significant benefit in detecting cancer and reducing the risk of dying from this disease. If you are a woman in your 40s (or older) and have never had a mammogram, seriously consider speaking with your healthcare provider about it.
