The American Cancer Society has revamped its guidelines on mammograms, recommending that patients start them later and do them less often.
They announced the shift in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The New York Times reports the influential organization now says that “women with an average risk of breast cancer start having mammograms at 45 and continue once a year until 54, then every other year for as long as they are healthy and likely to live another 10 years.” Plus for patients without red flags, they’re no longer backing the in-office exam where the doctor palpates your boob for a while. Previously, they said to start doing both annually at 40. Again, that’s for those with average chances, not for anybody high risk, and of course the idea is that medical providers take these guidelines into account in discussions with their patients, not for you to blithely skip routine doctor’s appointments.