iVillage

Stay Well Secrets: Breast Cancer Doctors Share Their Top Tips

Smart ways to safeguard your health (13 Photos)

Norine Dworkin-McDaniel on Aug 15, 2012 at 2:40PM

chime in now

Single View
View All

1 of 13

Stay Well Secrets: Breast Cancer Doctors Share Their Top Tips

Echo/Cultura/Getty Images

Get a Mammogram at 40

Cancer experts urge women to get their baseline mammogram at age 40 and then annually after that. That advice comes despite the United States Preventive Services Task Force controversial 2009 suggestion that women wait till age 50 to start regular mammogram screenings. "Breast cancer is a relatively early cancer, and the vast majority of breast cancer deaths occur in women under 50,” says Constance Lehman, M.D., PhD, director of breast imaging at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. “Screening women in their 40s reduces breast cancer deaths by 15 to 20 percent. It’s not safe to wait until 50 to start screening.” Need a nudge? Sign up for free at MammographySavesLives.org and you’ll get an email reminder when it’s time for your next mammogram.

Filed Under:

Comments See all

How do you handle getting a mammogram?