After being told the opposite for decades, this week women were told less mammograms are better and breast self exams do more harm than good. But medical professionals are speaking out, saying the choice should be yours.

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force released new guidelines recommending mammograms for woman ages 50-74, instead of 40 and up, only every other year. They also said no to self-exams.

The task force says self exams are not very effective at detecting cancer, and may induce panic in women who find lumps that may not be harmful to them.

Doctor Adnan Qalbani, a radiologist specialized in breast imaging, says self exams (which are free) and clinical exams (which are cheap) should not be tossed out.

“I don't know why you wouldn't do it...young women do have dense breasts and you find lumps and bumps that don't turn out to be anything. That's all true, but I think that collectively… our population is willing to accept a certain level of anxiety and a certain level of false positives, things that turn out to be cancers, in order to find those cancers earlier,” said Dr. Qalbani, who works at the Mercy Breast Care Center in Dakota Dunes.

Many health organizations, including the American Cancer Society and Susan G. Komen For The Cure, are still recommending self breast exams and routine mammograms for women ages 40 and up.

Dr. Qalbani recommends that women don't wait for what he calls ‘arbitrary’ ages to determine when you get your mammogram. He says talk with your doctor to figure out the best age for you.

We'll have more with Dr. Qalbani on Channel Nine Eyewitness News at Ten this Sunday for this week's Focus for the Cure.