You were told you have dense breasts. What now?
Since 10 September 2024 the FDA has required every mammography facility in the country to tell you whether your breasts are dense. A lot of people received that sentence for the first time and had no idea what to do with it.
What density is
Breasts are made of fatty tissue and fibroglandular tissue. Fibroglandular tissue appears white on a mammogram. So do many tumours. The more dense tissue you have, the more places a small cancer can hide.
It is common
Roughly half of women over 40 in the United States have dense breasts. It is not a disease, not a diagnosis and not something you caused. It also tends to decrease with age.
It is a modest risk factor
Dense tissue is associated with a somewhat higher risk of developing breast cancer, separately from making detection harder. Both facts are worth knowing; neither is cause for panic.
What to do about it
Ask a clinician whether supplemental imaging — ultrasound or MRI — makes sense given your density and your other risk factors. And keep screening. A mammogram that is harder to read is still far better than no mammogram.
Book it yourself
Pick a location, pick a time. About a minute to set up.
Create an account to get started →Mammo Express is a scheduling service, not a medical provider. We do not provide medical advice, perform imaging or interpret results. Screening is carried out by independent FDA-certified facilities. If you have noticed a lump or any change in your breast, contact a clinician — that needs a diagnostic exam, not a screening appointment.