Mount Sinai Health System (May 31, 2023) – When and how often to have a screening mammogram is a choice you must make. Different expert groups do not fully agree on the best timing for this test.

Before having a mammogram, talk to your provider about the pros and cons of having the test. Ask about:

• Your risk for breast cancer
• Whether screening decreases your chance of dying from breast cancer
• Whether there is any harm from breast cancer screening, such as side effects from testing or overtreatment of cancer when it’s discovered

Mammography is performed to screen women to detect early breast cancer when it is more likely to be cured. Mammography is generally recommended for:

• Women starting at age 40, repeated every 1 to 2 years. (This is not recommended by all expert organizations.)
• All women starting at age 50, repeated every 1 to 2 years.
• Women with a mother or sister who had breast cancer at a younger age should consider yearly mammograms. They should begin earlier than the age at which their youngest family member was diagnosed.

Mammography is also used to:

• Follow a woman who has had an abnormal mammogram.
• Evaluate a woman who has symptoms of a breast disease. These symptoms may include a lump, nipple discharge, breast pain, dimpling of the skin on the breast, changes of the nipple, or other findings.