When should I start mammograms?
Last updated September 3, 2026.
At 40 for average-risk women: the USPSTF recommends a mammogram every 2 years from 40 to 74 - a recommendation that moved down from 50 in 2024 as breast-cancer rates rose in younger women. Average risk is the load-bearing phrase: no personal history, no close relative with breast cancer (especially young), no known BRCA mutation, no childhood chest radiation. Any of those means an individualized schedule - earlier starts, annual imaging, sometimes MRI - a conversation for 30, not 40. The appointment itself: about twenty minutes, seconds of compression discomfort, and callbacks for extra imaging are common and usually resolve to nothing. Men get breast cancer too, rarely - a lump in anyone deserves checking. Pymander is a free AI doctor, 24/7 by text, and can help you weigh your risk.
What to do
- Average risk? 40, every 2 years.
- Family history or BRCA? Talk to your doctor by 30.
- Callback is not a diagnosis: most resolve to nothing.
- Found a lump at any age? Get it checked now: screening schedules are for the symptom-free.
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