This week a debate ran through the media. Should women go for a mammogram at 45 instead of 50? Three medical societies say yes, other voices are more cautious. And in the middle of it, in the comments under the post, women were telling their own stories. That is exactly where it all started for us.
What this is about
Three Swiss medical societies recommend lowering the starting age for mammography screening from 50 to 45. Around 300'000 women would be affected. Other experts are more cautious and point out that earlier screening can also lead to overdiagnosis and anxiety. A debate with two sides, the newspaper wrote.
This is an important discussion, and it needs to happen. It is about evidence, about costs, about the question of what earlier screening really achieves. Experts weigh it up, with good arguments on both sides.
But this discussion partly passes over women's heads.
What was really written under the post
Read the comments once. No one there is debating percentage points in the abstract.
One woman writes that she felt her lump herself, a few weeks after a check-up had found nothing. Another tells how her screening showed nothing and she only noticed the change months later. A third is grateful that in her case someone looked early and everything could be treated in time. And again and again the same sentence, in different words: why is women's health overlooked so easily?
These are not statistics. These are women. They do not experience the debate as two abstract sides. They experience their own body.
The gap no one has on their radar
And here comes the point that will not let us go. The whole discussion revolves around 45 or 50. But what about the woman who is 32? Who is 27? She is in no programme, neither at one age nor the other. She stands completely on the outside.
That is exactly where we asked. In our own survey of more than 100 women, 73 percent said they do not do self-examination or feel unsure about it. 62 percent had not been to a gynaecologist for a long time, or never. This is the silent majority that the screening debate does not talk about at all.
These women do not need an earlier mammogram from tomorrow. They need something else first. Orientation. The feeling that they are allowed to understand their own body, without a medical degree and without fear.
What we believe
Under the post we answered ourselves, and it sums up fairly well why we exist. It is not about screening everyone blindly, but about opening everyone's eyes and building women up with confidence. Personalised prevention complements early detection, it is a real step forward, and it takes away fears instead of fuelling them.
Prevention does not have to be hard. It does not have to begin only at 45 or 50, when a programme finally invites you. It begins earlier than you think. With knowledge you understand. With an assessment that shows you the next step, instead of throwing a diagnosis at you.
This is why Radiosa exists. We are not a medical device and not a replacement for your doctor. We are the place before that. The prevention check gives you a personal orientation level and concrete talking points for your next appointment. You find breast centres near you, learn self-examination step by step, and EVE, our AI chat, answers the questions you would not ask anyone else. All in one place. Your profile stays local on your device.
What you can do today
You do not have to settle the debate. You are allowed to start small.
- Do the prevention check. Ten minutes, free, no account. Afterwards you will know more about yourself than before.
- Examine yourself once a month, always in the same phase of your cycle. It is not about perfection, but about knowing what is normal for you.
- Book your annual appointment with the gynaecologist, if it is still pending.
Not someday. Today. Small.
The women in the comments reminded us why we get up in the morning. As long as early detection is being debated, we make sure that no woman stands alone before that point.
Radiosa is an information service and guide on breast health, not a medical device. The content does not replace a professional assessment by a doctor.
Sources
- Tagesanzeiger, Instagram post on the debate «Mammography at 45 instead of 50», June 2026
- Mammography from 45: the recommendation of the three medical societies
- Radiosa survey of more than 100 women, 2026
- Prevention check on radiosa.ch