Breast cancer screening in your 40s

Our Position

All women over the age of 40 should have a clinical breast exam (performed by a doctor) every 2 years to screen for breast cancer. If you are aged 40 to 49 and are at average risk of breast cancer talk to your doctor about the benefits and risks of screening with mammography. Learn more about screening for breast cancer.

Women in their 40s should be able to have mammograms at organized screening programs if they are referred by a doctor or a nurse practitioner. Screening programs should have additional resources to make sure that women in their 40s can use these services without affecting mammograms for women aged 50 to 69, where we know that screening is most effective.

Screening with mammography

Science tells us that regular mammography to screen for breast cancer is most beneficial for women aged 50 to 69. The benefits for women under 50 are still unclear. There is some suggestion that women aged 40–49 could benefit from regular mammography, but the issue is confusing because there are conflicting results in the research and conflicting messages from various health and advocacy groups. Research also suggests that if women in their 40s choose to have a mammogram, they should consider having one every year (instead of every 2 years for women aged 50-69) because breast cancers may act differently in younger women.

All women should discuss the risks and benefits of regular breast screening with their doctor. If you are 40 to 49 and are at average risk of breast cancer, talk to your doctor about the risks and benefits of regular screening with mammography.

Learn more about the benefits and risks of screening

Some women have a greater risk of developing breast cancer because of their family or personal history. If you are concerned, talk to your doctor about whether you should get tested more often or starting at a younger age.

If you want to have a mammogram to screen for breast cancer

If you are in your 40s and want to have a screening mammogram, your options will depend on where you live.

Organized screening programs offer cancer screening to specific groups of people through an organized program, usually by province or territory. For example, all organized breast screening programs in Canada specifically screen women 50-69 years old for breast cancer using mammograms. Some organized screening programs will accept women outside this age range as well.

At the moment, some organized screening programs will not accept women aged 40–49 into their program since the benefits of screening in this age group are still unclear. Talk to an information specialist or e-mail our Cancer Information Service for more information.

If the organized screening program in your province or territory accepts women in their 40s, contact them or ask your doctor to ask how you can get a mammogram. An organized screening program will make sure that certain quality standards are met and that there is appropriate follow-up on test results.
If the organized screening program in your province or territory does not accept women in their 40s, you will need to go outside an organized breast screening program. (This is sometimes called ad hoc or opportunistic screening.) Talk to your doctor about the best way to get a mammogram at a place that is accredited by the Canadian Association of Radiologists.

Last modified on: 13 December 2009