Hi all,
I am a 33 year old female with a family history of colon cancer and wanted input from other’s about at what age colon cancer screening should begin. I’ve always known that my paternal grandmother had colon cancer when she was 52 (she passed in 2003 from breast cancer at 78). My dad passed away 6 months later and while I have never been close with my dad’s side of the family, I lost touch after he passed. I recently reconnected with my dad’s sister and asked her about a family history of any health issues.
My grandmother had 8 brothers and 5 of them passed away in their 50’s to colon cancer. My aunt said she began getting colonoscopies every 5 years at the age of 40. After finding out this information, I did make an appointment with a GI who recommended i begin colonoscopies at the age of 40. I am fine with that but when I hear of others getting diagnosed at an earlier age, it makes me wonder if i should push back on this recommendation. I’ve always been very aware of my health and knowing that my grandmother had this, I’ve been poop checking for years. I’m very regular and poop always looks pretty good with the occasional loose stool. Never seen any blood. I do have internal and external hemorrhoids that began during pregnancy and never went away. I get those checked every year by a colo rectal surgeon (who also recommends screening to begin at 40).
I appreciate any opinions.