Why this Harvard radiologist still recommends women get mammograms at age 40

A high-quality screening mammogram is still considered the best way to catch breast cancer as early as possible. But members of the medical community disagree on what age all women should start getting annual mammograms, and breast cancer screening has become an increasingly polarizing topic as a result.

Experts agree that every woman over 50 needs a mammogram at least every two years to ensure they are in good health, while those under 40 years old do not. The controversy involves women in their forties, a group that is in more of a gray area when it comes to the benefits versus the harms of regular screening. (Note that women at high risk for breast cancer, such as those with a BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutation, fall under a separate set of guidelines.)