October is National Breast Cancer Awareness month, which encourages women to get checked.But now according to a new study mammograms don't save as many lives as women think.

Many women who survive cancer often say it was a mammogram that saved their life.

It's a powerful message for other women to go get tested.

While some doctors agree, others say screening too soon may not be much of a benefit.

In a study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine doctors said early detection isn't always beneficial because the technology used is so advanced.

Some women could be over-diagnosed and receive treatment for tiny cancers that are not harmful and typically don't require treatment.

Linda Coraretti is a nurse at a local hospital and said, “As far as how early you can go. It's hard to say. I had a patient that was 29 years old, and she had never see anything before and she got diagnosed with stage four breast cancer and she was only 29."

She believes early screening could help doctors treat women in the future.

"You know what? Being aware of what's going on with your body is the best thing. What I tell my patients is, ‘The best way to make a decision is to be informed’," said Coraretti.

But it's not always easy for women to decide when to get checked or what to check for.

It's something Coraretti knows personally, along with her 15 years of experience as a nurse.

"People get the idea that there is always a genetic link and stuff like that, but that's not necessarily true," she said.

According to the American Cancer Society, more than 200,000 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer by the end of this year.

"There are a lot of organizations that are trying to do things to kind of make people more aware and try to do more things to benefit women but I’m afraid things aren’t moving forward as much as we’d like,“ said Coraretti.

The study points out that a part of breast cancer awareness is personal testimonies from breast cancers survivors that can influence some women to get mammograms too soon.

Coraretti said, "As far as how early you can go I had a patient that was 29-years-old and she had never seen anything before. She was diagnosed with stage four breast cancer."

According to the National Cancer Institute women who have had any breast problems or who have a family history of breast cancer should start getting mammograms before age 40 and women in their 40s and older should have one every 1 to 2 years.

But Coraretti said, "Who's to say where the right place to start is?"

She said it's not easy to decide when to get a mammogram but suggest to women should get one early on so that doctors have something to compare to.

"Get one as a background one and get it young enough so that doctors can look at changes through time and see how things progress for you as an individual," said Coraretti.

She also said women should do regular self-breast exams. If anything unusual is felt or any pain women should see a doctor right away.