Listen as Dr. Lebovic tells you what age women should start having mammograms.
Mammograms are the best defense we have against breast cancer. We started screening mammography in this country in the 1960s and 70s and have seen a decrease in the mortality rates from breast cancer as a direct result of screening mammography but, that means that women need to show up for their mammograms every year and they need to start getting a mammogram at age of 35 as a baseline and then every year after the age of 40 because that’s how we can catch a tiny little cancer. Now, if they have a family history of breast cancer that might be different and certainly if they have any type of a finding on physical exam by a doctor or if they find a lump, they might need a mammogram before the age of 40.
About Dr. Gail Lebovic, M.D., M.A., F.A.C.S.:
Dr. Gail Lebovic is the President of the American Society of Breast Disease (ASBD). She earned a B.A. in physiology and anatomy and a master's in endocrinology from University of California, Berkeley. In 1986, she received her medical degree from George Washington University School of Medicine. After an internship at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, she performed her surgical residency at Stanford University Medical Center and completed two fellowships – one in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the breast and another at the National Cancer Institute. Dr. Lebovic is certified by the American Board of Surgery and her areas of special medical interest include diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer, cosmetic and reconstructive surgery of the breast, and management of congenital breast deformities. She has also invented several medical devices and co-founded a number of companies in the area of women's health including Biolucent, Inc., makers of the MammoPad™ breast cushion designed to make mammography more comfortable.