A government task force has released new recommendations concerning mammograms, but it's a major change from what the American Cancer Society advises.

Women have gotten used to the ASC recommendations that suggest annual mammograms, beginning at the age of 40.

The new guidelines say women should to get mammograms every two years starting at the age of 50 if breast cancer does not run in the family.

Another recommendation by the task force is that doctors should no longer teach women to do self breast exams because they serve little benefit.

This overhauls treatment guidelines that are 20 years old. The task force says over-treatment is the reason for the new guidelines.

Doctors say mammograms can cause false positives, but Patricia Cheeks with Women's Health Focus says it's better to be safe than sorry.

"I think there are a lot of women who are living healthy lives because it was detected early and it was treated early. I think that our statistics strongly indicate and show that early detection and treatment is much better than finding it later," says Cheeks.

Cheeks adds that she is very disappointed in the guidelines, especially after a patient canceled a screening after hearing the results.

The task force's decision was not based on new scientific research. It's based on an analysis of existing data, which leaves the guidelines open to criticism.