Why do doctors recommend ladies to do a yearly mammogram at 40 but there’s women younger than 40 that can GET CANCER?

[AmazonChick171]

I’ve had my breast checked out when I was 24 because I had a lump but it was just a cyst! If you feel a lump, discharge a mole or whatever on your breast, DO NOT WAIT! Moles can me a sign for breast cancer. I looked it up and it said so. CHECKED OUT LADIES!

[AliceGregory]

If we're talking about the general population, it's for two reasons, one is that it's harder to detect cancer in younger women because they have more dense breasts and while they can get cancer if they are younger, it's not common enough to justify screening the cost of screening them.

However, a larger fraction of breast cancer cases in women under 40 are linked to hereditary factors so if a woman has a family history of breast cancer, they often start getting mammograms when they're 25.

[WonderingManII]

While it's true that women of any age can develop breast cancer, doctors generally recommend annual mammograms starting at age 40 because that's when the benefits of early detection through mammography begin to outweigh the risks for most women. Younger women have a lower overall risk of breast cancer, and mammograms can be less accurate due to denser breast tissue and may lead to unnecessary further testing according to PURE Mammography.

[shortster]

Probability. You can get cancer at any age; but odds are you won't get it until after 40.