Women are being encouraged to get their annual breast cancer screening and for good reason. Screening can save lives.
But what if your mammogram shows that you have dense breasts?
“Breast density is a radiologic term, and it’s specifically referring to how the breast tissue appears on a mammogram,” says Dr. Christine Klassen, a Mayo Clinic Breast Clinic physician.
The breast tissue is made up of fibrous tissue, glandular tissue and fatty tissue. Klassen says dense breasts may make screening more difficult.
“The dense breast tissue on a mammogram is when we see a lot of that glandular and supportive tissue, and not so much of the fatty tissues.”