I am only guessing, but I think I have undergone at least 7 or 8 colonoscopies, three in one year because of polyps that couldn't be completely removed in one surgery. None were cancerous.
Because of a propensity to develop pulps since the age of about 60 I get a colonoscopy every two years. I believe that is the maximum allowed by Medicare if you are of that age in the USA. That said Medicare is every 5 years unless there is an indication of problems like regular polyps, and I think that might be more than enough for most of us.
So why my question? I opened an email from on of the web "news" distributions (I can look up the name, forget at the moment), and it had a presentation on the dangers/risks of colonoscopy and called it a "rip off" by the medical community - I don't associate the source with anti-medicine..but I have seen other sales pitches that immediately turned me off ..they have to make a living too and clearly take what is paid advertisements, I believe.
My every-two year exam is coming up so I watched the presentation which raised minor concern.. so I come here to see if there is any general acceptance that a colonoscopy is over prescribed and has a high risk of injury with minimal help in preventing colon cancer.. my reason. The National Cancer Society was quoted in the presentation as saying there is no evidence that colonoscopies reduces the risk of colon cancer - this I doubt but I have not gone looking beyond this post to date.
Don't you listen to these reports to the contrary. You, with this history of multiple polyps, really do want to keep having them to stay ahead of the polyps.