Why is mammography not used for routine screening of young women?
Mammography is not as effective in younger women for detecting cancer in the pre-menopausal breast. In pre-menopausal women, the composition of breast tissue makes it harder to detect problems. Screening with mammography might be appropriate for some women in high risk groups (e.g. women with close family members who have had breast cancer at a young age or have other clinical indications). For these women screening is justified from a radiation protection perspective as they have an elevated risk of breast cancer. Effective screening programmes give emphasis to post-menopausal women and women at a higher than average risk of breast cancer.
