When Can You Stop Getting Mammograms? It Depends on Your Health

Does Medicare stop covering mammograms after age 74? 

Insurance — including Medicare — will often cover mammograms, with no upper age limit. 

But if you’re planning to continue with mammograms, it’s a good idea to check in with your health insurance provider about coverage. They can confirm whether or not your mammograms are still covered, especially if you’re age 75 or older. 

Overdiagnosis

Overdiagnosis means finding breast cancer that doesn’t really need to be treated, because the cancer will grow too slowly to ever cause problems. Breast cancer overdiagnosis may be more likely with age.

A recent large study of about 55,000 women in the U.S. showed: 

• For women ages 70 to 74, about 1 in 3 breast cancers found on a mammogram would potentially never cause symptoms or health problems. 

• For women over 75, these numbers rise to about 1 in 2. This means that about half of breast cancers found on a mammogram would potentially never cause harm. 

The problem with overdiagnosis is that once you find cancer, it’s hard to ignore. You might end up going through surgery, radiation therapy, or other serious treatments — even though you potentially don’t need them in the long run. 

Even if it turns out to just be a “health scare,” knowing about the cancer can be hard on you, both mentally and physically. 

False positives

Another risk is a false positive. A false positive means your mammogram looks abnormal, but there’s not actually any cancer present. 

False positives can happen at any age, but the more mammograms you have in your life, the more likely you are to have a false positive at some point. They can lead to:

• Worry and stress

• Extra imaging tests

• Breast biopsies

• Missed work, social events, or family time

• Risks from medical procedures, anesthesia, or surgery

You’re in good physical health

If you’re in good health, you may be more likely to benefit from breast cancer treatment — even as an older adult. 

Some medical experts use a 10-year life expectancy as a general guide for continuing mammograms after age 74. This is because people with a greater life expectancy may have more long-term benefits from cancer treatment than someone with fewer years left to live. 

You’d want treatment if breast cancer was found

If a mammogram found breast cancer, and you’d want to get cancer treatment, screening may still be the right fit for you.

You have a high risk for breast cancer 

For some older adults at higher risk, mammograms can still be a good idea. Among other factors, you may have a higher risk for breast cancer in these cases: 

• You’ve had breast cancer before.

• It runs in your family.

• You have certain genetic mutations linked to breast cancer.

You wouldn’t want to have breast cancer treatment

For some people, the challenges of surgery, radiation therapy, or other cancer treatments aren’t worth the side effects or stress. 

If a person knows for sure they’re not likely to go through with treatment — even if breast cancer is found — then a screening mammogram might not be useful. 

You’re not likely to benefit from cancer treatment 

Depending on someone’s health and personal situation, breast cancer treatment might not improve their lifespan or quality of life. 

For example, for some people with serious medical problems — like advanced lung or heart disease, or dementia — cancer treatment may worsen their quality of life without improving their lifespan. In these cases, screening for breast cancer may not be useful.

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