Women With Dense Breasts or a Family History of Breast Cancer May Want to Consider Screening in Their 40s
WebMD Health News
Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD
April 30, 2012 — A pair of new studies aims to clear up some of the confusion over what age women should start getting routine mammograms to screen for breast cancer.
The studies, which are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, show that a woman in her 40s who has extremely dense breasts, or who has a mother or sister with breast cancer, reaps the same benefits and drawbacks from getting regular mammograms as a woman in her 50s.

National Breast Cancer Coalition
National Cancer Institute
Prostate Cancer Foundation