At 45 for most people - the US Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer screening from 45 to 75 at average risk.
Colonoscopy is the most complete option because it finds and removes precancerous polyps in one session, but at-home stool tests and other scans are accepted alternatives, with a colonoscopy following any positive result. Higher risk means starting earlier; symptoms at any age skip the queue.
What to do
Common questions
When should I get a colonoscopy?
At 45 for most people. The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends colorectal cancer screening for adults 45 to 75 at average risk - the start age dropped from 50 because diagnoses in younger adults have been rising. Between 76 and 85, the decision becomes individual, based on health and prior screening. Colonoscopy is the most complete option - it finds and removes precancerous polyps in the same session - but it is one of several accepted routes: stool-based tests done at home yearly, or other scopes and scans on their own schedules, with a colonoscopy following any positive result. Higher risk moves everything earlier: a parent or sibling with colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, or certain genetic syndromes mean starting before 45 on your doctor's schedule. And symptoms skip the queue entirely - blood in the stool, a lasting change in bowel habits, or unexplained weight loss earns a diagnostic look at any age. Pymander, a free AI doctor available 24/7 by text, can help you pick the screening route that fits.