what age for first mammogram
Figure 3.1 shows the breast cancer screening recommendations for women at average risk. Mammography in women ages 40 to 49 may save lives, but the benefit is less than for older women. Individual study findings on the benefits of mammography vary [ 4,16 ].
For most women, who are not at especially high risk of breast cancer, regular mammograms can start at age 50. Or, to be cautious, a woman can get one mammogram earlier (around age 45) and then if it is normal, wait until she is 50 for her next mammogram. This is the advice that the National Center for Health Research and their Cancer Prevention and Treatment Fund have been giving since 2007.