NHS Breast Screening

At what age does NHS breast screening start in the UK?

In England, routine invitations cover women registered with a GP as female from age 50 up to their 71st birthday. Your first invitation should arrive between ages 50 and 53. From 71, you can contact your local screening service to request an appointment every three years. Trans and non-binary people should check with their GP or screening service because eligibility and automatic invitations depend on individual circumstances and their GP record.

Some women are offered more frequent screening or different imaging (such as MRI) due to higher risk — for example, those with a strong family history or known BRCA gene mutations. Your GP can refer you for a high-risk assessment if appropriate.

What happens at the appointment

A mammogram appointment usually takes around 30 minutes. A female radiographer carries out the mammogram — two X-ray images are taken of each breast by compressing the breast between two plates. The compression lasts only a few seconds and while it can be uncomfortable, it is not harmful. The images are sent to a radiologist for analysis.

Understanding your results

• Normal: No abnormalities found. You will be invited again in three years.
• Recall for assessment: A small number of women (~5%) are recalled for further tests (additional imaging, ultrasound or biopsy). This does not mean cancer is present — the majority of recalls are not cancer.
• Cancer detected: Treatment planning begins promptly. Early detection dramatically improves outcomes.

Limitations of screening

Mammography is not perfect. It can miss some cancers (false negatives) and can flag abnormalities that turn out not to be cancer (false positives). Dense breast tissue makes mammograms harder to read. This is why regular self-checking between appointments remains important — if you notice any change, see your GP regardless of when you last had a mammogram.

What about breast screening outside the UK?

Screening ages and intervals vary by country, and some national programmes start before 50. In well-resourced settings, the World Health Organization’s 2014 position paper recommends organised mammography screening for women aged 50 to 69, every two years. If you live outside the UK, ask your doctor or national screening programme what applies to you. At any age, see a doctor about a new breast change rather than waiting for screening.

Screening in low-income countries

In the UK, routine mammography has contributed to a significant reduction in breast cancer deaths since 1988. Many low-income communities have no organised screening programme, so many women are never examined until a cancer is advanced. This is why our campaign supports screening outreach and community health education — to bring basic breast checks to women who would otherwise never receive them.