The guidelines from a government task force say women should start getting mammograms at age 50, not 40 as recommended before.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force also suggests women be screened every two years, rather than annually.

Women and those who work in women's health have a lot more to think about with these stunning new guidelines.

The group of scientists and doctors involved in this study found yearly mammograms for younger women may do more harm than good.

For women between 40 and 50, too many times there are false positives -- meaning something shows up in the screening but turns out to be nothing.

That leads to anxiety, stress, and unnecessary biopsies and tests.

"And did that help that person when there wasn't anything wrong in the first place?" asks Julie Luks, M.D., medical director of Aspirus Women's Health.

The task force also recommends doctors don't tell patients to examine their breasts on a regular basis.

"Most of the time its not that affective, according to this paper, and it too leads to the kind of harm that is being described...many extra tests, many extra biopsies, much anxiety," says Dr. Luks.

She says the vast majority of findings from self-breast exams do not find an underlying cancer.

But early detection was key to saving Bobette Helgeson's life.

She found a golf ball sized lump in her breast six years ago, but at first thought nothing of it.

"If I could just get one woman to start doing her self breast exam it would mean the world to me. If I can get the message out, it is imperative to do breast self exams," Helgeson said.

She's since cancer free.

But these guidelines were based on not finding cancer early, but if screening tests decrease mortality.

The study did find that mammograms reduce the risk of dying from breast cancer by 15 percent for women in their 40s and 50s.

And that's what many physicians will now take into consideration.

"It's a very big change, kind of a paradigm shift and something we need to consider," Dr. Luks said.

She also says to keep your scheduled mammogram for now.