How often should you get a mammogram?
This is one of those questions where the honest answer is that experts disagree, and anyone telling you there is a single correct interval is oversimplifying.
What the USPSTF says
In 2024 the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommended screening mammography every two years for women aged 40 to 74. It lowered the starting age to 40, citing rising incidence among women in their forties and higher mortality among Black women. It favours a two-year interval because it produces fewer false positives for a similar mortality benefit.
What the American Cancer Society says
The ACS recommends the option of yearly screening from 40, yearly screening from 45 to 54, and from 55 either continuing yearly or moving to every two years. It weights the earlier detection of yearly screening more heavily.
Why the difference matters
Insurance coverage tends to follow the USPSTF, because the Affordable Care Act ties no-cost-sharing preventive coverage to its recommendations. That does not make the ACS wrong; it means if you want yearly screening you should check how your plan treats it.
When your schedule is different
Family history, a known BRCA or other gene variant, prior chest radiation, or dense breasts can all change what is right for you — sometimes earlier, sometimes more often, sometimes with additional imaging. That is a conversation with a clinician, not a website.
Questions about this
Why do the USPSTF and the American Cancer Society disagree?
They weigh the same evidence differently. Yearly screening finds some cancers earlier; it also produces more false positives, more call-backs and more biopsies that turn out to be nothing. The USPSTF puts more weight on reducing that harm, the ACS on the earlier detection. Neither is being careless — it is a genuine trade-off.
USPSTF — Breast Cancer: Screening (2024) ↗Which one does my insurance follow?
Generally the USPSTF, because the Affordable Care Act ties no-cost-sharing preventive coverage to its recommendations. If you want yearly screening and your plan follows a two-year interval, ask how the extra exam would be billed before you book it.
When should I start if breast cancer runs in my family?
Possibly earlier than 40, and possibly with additional imaging. Family history, a known BRCA or other variant, and prior chest radiation all change the calculation. This is exactly the situation where you want a clinician rather than a general guideline.
CDC — Breast Cancer Screening ↗Is there an age when I should stop?
The USPSTF recommendation runs to 74, and says the evidence is insufficient beyond that rather than that screening is wrong. Past 75 it becomes an individual conversation about overall health and life expectancy.
USPSTF — Breast Cancer: Screening (2024) ↗Book it yourself
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Create an account to get started →Mammo Express is a scheduling service, not a medical provider. We do not provide medical advice, perform imaging or interpret results. Screening is carried out by independent FDA-certified facilities. If you have noticed a lump or any change in your breast, contact a clinician — that needs a diagnostic exam, not a screening appointment.