Mammogram Confusion, Solved! - It's the rare woman who doesn't vividly remember certain firsts

It's her first period, first bra, first use of a tampon, first kiss, and, yes, first mammogram. But for most women, the age at which they should get that first screening test has changed. Earlier this year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued new breast cancer screening guidelines suggesting that women get a mammogram every two years starting at age 40.

- By Lauren Streicher

It's her first period, first bra, first use of a tampon, first kiss, and, yes, first mammogram. But for most women, the age at which they should get that first screening test has changed. Earlier this year, the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued new breast cancer screening guidelines suggesting that women get a mammogram every two years starting at age 40.

Why the Change?

To start, breast cancer rates rose gradually among women ages 40 to 49 from 2000 to 2015, but they jumped by an alarming 2% each year between 2015 and 2019. In 2024 alone, an estimated 42,250 women are expected to die of breast cancer. What's more, nonHispanic white women have the highest incidence of breast cancer, but non-Hispanic Black women have the highest mortality rate. In fact, Black women are more likely to be diagnosed with late-stage and more aggressive cancers than any other ethnic group, and they are 40% more likely to die of breast cancer than are white women.

Why are so many women, particularly non-white women, getting cancer that starts earlier and is more aggressive? The answer is complicated and not specifically addressed by the USPSTF beyond the acknowledgment that health care and sociocultural inequities, along with genetic factors, contribute to high rates of breast cancer in certain groups.