40licious Health: Mammograms Every Year

Take care of your breasts and they'll take care of you.

There's been quite a bit of back and forth about how often women in their 40s should get mammograms. Years ago, by the time cancer was discovered it was likely far gone and a radical procedure. Later, it became optimal to have a mammogram every year. And then last year, it was moved to every two years so as not to -- the official reason -- stress out women over false positives and excess radiation. Could there be the teeniest, tiniest chance that insurance companies had something to do with this as well?

Now, a Reuters story reports that the "every two years" study was faulty. "In the new analysis, the team found that annual mammograms starting at age 40 save 65,000 more women from breast cancer than mammograms done every other year in women 50 and older."

So, yes, get thee a mammography. If you don't have insurance, you can find a list of free or low-cost ones at the American Cancer Society and click on the "In Your Area" tab on the top right.