Mammograms Should Begin at Age 40, USPSTF Says

Key TakeawaysNew USPSTF guidelines recommend mammograms for women starting at 40.Previous recommendations said women aged 40-50 should make an individual decision with their clinician on whether they should start screening.A steady increase in breast cancer cases in women in their 40s is the root cause of the updated guidelines.

Key Takeaways

New USPSTF guidelines recommend mammograms for women starting at 40.Previous recommendations said women aged 40-50 should make an individual decision with their clinician on whether they should start screening.A steady increase in breast cancer cases in women in their 40s is the root cause of the updated guidelines.

Mammograms for women who turn 40 became a priority again this week after the U.S. Preventive Task Force (USPSTF) updated their guidelines recommending all women start getting screened for breast cancer at the age of 40 and continue every other year until age 74.

Previous guidelines recommended women speak with their providers about whether or not to begin screening before age 50—now, USPSTF says all women should start at 40.

An increase in younger women developing early-onset (younger than 50) breast cancer is the driving force behind the update. Earlier screenings will save more lives, especially among Black women, who are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer.

The new USPSTF guidelines also say there is insufficient evidence on the most effective way to screen dense breast tissue. Half of women havedense breast tissue,which makes it harder for a mammogram to detect potential tumors.

A Note on Gender and Sex TerminologyVerywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.

A Note on Gender and Sex Terminology

Verywell Health acknowledges thatsex and genderare related concepts, but they are not the same. To reflect our sources accurately, this article uses terms like “female,” “male,” “woman,” and “man” as the sources use them.

Why Is Cancer Rising In Young Adults?

Why Every Other Year?

With early-onset breast cancer cases on the rise, many are wondering why the guidelines recommend screening everyotheryear as opposed to an annual screening. The USPSTF said its decision is based on the balance between risk and benefit. A major risk is false-positive results, which occur in about 50% of women—especially those who are younger.

“It is something we looked into very carefully,” Mangione said. “We looked at different modeling studies and we found the benefit of screening every year does not outweigh the harm from false positive results.”

While getting a false positive might not sound like a big deal, Mangione highlights the negative toll it can take on a person who receives an incorrect diagnosis. These negative outcomes can include:

How Younger Women Can Access Mammograms

Will Insurance Cover Mammograms for People in Their 40s?

The new guidelines not only recommended screening start at age 40; they also changed the grade of the recommendation from a grade C to a grade B for that age group. This impacts how insurance companies respond. If you have health insurance and are in your 40s or older, your mammogram should be covered.

Grade B:The USPSTF recommends the service. There is high certainty that the net benefit is moderate or there is moderate certainty that the net benefit is moderate to substantial. Practices should offer or provide this service.Grade C:The USPSTF recommends selectively offering or providing this service to individual patients based on professional judgment and patient preferences. There is at least moderate certainty that the net benefit is small. Practices have a choice to offer the service for individual patients.

What This Means For YouIn order to catch early-onset breast cancer, women should start getting mammograms at age 40.While the USPSTF recommendations state that screenings should be done every other year, you should talk with your primary care physician about your specific circumstances to determine if an annual exam is beneficial, including the possibility of secondary imaging if you have dense breast tissue.

What This Means For You

In order to catch early-onset breast cancer, women should start getting mammograms at age 40.While the USPSTF recommendations state that screenings should be done every other year, you should talk with your primary care physician about your specific circumstances to determine if an annual exam is beneficial, including the possibility of secondary imaging if you have dense breast tissue.

In order to catch early-onset breast cancer, women should start getting mammograms at age 40.

While the USPSTF recommendations state that screenings should be done every other year, you should talk with your primary care physician about your specific circumstances to determine if an annual exam is beneficial, including the possibility of secondary imaging if you have dense breast tissue.

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.US Preventive Services Task Force, Nicholson WK, Silverstein M, et al.Screening for breast cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. Published online April 30, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.5534American Cancer Society.Breast cancer death rates are highest for black women—again.Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171American Cancer Society.Breast density and your mammogram report.Susan G. Komen.Accuracy of mammograms.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Grade definitions.KFF.Coverage of breast cancer screening and prevention services.

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.US Preventive Services Task Force, Nicholson WK, Silverstein M, et al.Screening for breast cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. Published online April 30, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.5534American Cancer Society.Breast cancer death rates are highest for black women—again.Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171American Cancer Society.Breast density and your mammogram report.Susan G. Komen.Accuracy of mammograms.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Grade definitions.KFF.Coverage of breast cancer screening and prevention services.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

US Preventive Services Task Force, Nicholson WK, Silverstein M, et al.Screening for breast cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. Published online April 30, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.5534American Cancer Society.Breast cancer death rates are highest for black women—again.Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171American Cancer Society.Breast density and your mammogram report.Susan G. Komen.Accuracy of mammograms.U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Grade definitions.KFF.Coverage of breast cancer screening and prevention services.

US Preventive Services Task Force, Nicholson WK, Silverstein M, et al.Screening for breast cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement.JAMA. Published online April 30, 2024. doi:10.1001/jama.2024.5534

American Cancer Society.Breast cancer death rates are highest for black women—again.

Koh B, Tan DJH, Ng CH, et al.Patterns in cancer incidence among people younger than 50 years in the US, 2010 to 2019.JAMA Netw Open. 2023;6(8):e2328171. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28171

American Cancer Society.Breast density and your mammogram report.

Susan G. Komen.Accuracy of mammograms.

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force.Grade definitions.

KFF.Coverage of breast cancer screening and prevention services.

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