New guidelines for breast cancer screening have many women worried about what to do and when to do it. That’s causing confusion in the Treasure Valley

After the guidelines were released calling for less frequent mammograms the calls started to pour in. But local groups warn women to just keep doing what they're doing.

Local doctors say they're frustrated with these new federal guidelines. They say if these guidelines are adopted it would be a step backward for women's health care across the United States.

38-year-old Jennifer Poole has been a cancer survivor for 3 years now and she has one thing to be thankful for:

"I credit mammograms for saving me because I am considered high risk because it runs in my family," said Poole.

After the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued their new guidelines of mammography, patients are confused of what to do.

Now they're saying women should get mammogram tests at age 50 rather than 40.

"Now they're being told the opposite they're very angry with the studies," said the Mammogram Supervisor at the Intermountain Medical Imaging Center Heidi Bourget.

St. Luke's Hospital says calls have been pouring in from patients under the age of 50, concerned whether or not their insurance will even cover mammograms because of the new federal guidelines.

"We tell them we don't know what insurance companies will decide to do but hopefully they'll see the value like we do in screening mammography and continue to cover those services," said a Breast Cancer Specialist at St. Luke’s Hospital Dr. James Maxwell.

Poole says she'll continue to advocate for early screenings. She says even her 7-year old daughter is well aware of the importance of her Mommy's health.

"For me the risk of any radiation exposure or a false positive is nothing compared to the risk of having cancer and finding it when it's too late," said Poole.

The Health and Human Services Secretary says she does not believe the guidelines would change insurance coverage. She says it's not a federal policy rather just recommendations of an independent panel of doctors and scientists.