Often patients have the opportunity to discuss the results with radiologists before they leave the mammography center. How often women should be screened by mammography is still up for debate. The NCI recommends that women age 40 and over be screened with mammography every one to two years. But the American College of Radiology and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists support annual screening after age 40. Only about 30 percent of the population who should be getting mammograms actually are, says Doudna.
Some women are terrified of finding or being told something is there.
So they decide they don t want to know. That s tragic because the smaller the cancer, the easier it is to cure and 95 percent of breast cancers are curable. As breast cancer survivors, Doudna and Donofrio both urge women to be proactive in their health care. That means monthly breast self-exams, annual visits to physicians for breast exams and regular mammography screenings. If you re in the age group that should be getting mammograms, and your doctor hasn t recommended it, ask for a referral, Doudna says.