All about Dense Breasts

moderators
moderators Posts: 8,681
edited September 2022 in Not Diagnosed But Worried

We just added this content on Dense Breasts!

Dense Breasts

Having dense breasts means there is more fibrous tissue (or connective tissue) and glandular tissue (the type of tissue that produces milk) in your breasts than fatty tissue. That's why dense breast tissue is also called "fibroglandular tissue." In this section you'll learn about:

  • How is breast density measured?
  • Why breast density matters?
  • How to find out if you have dense breasts
  • Cancer screening for women with dense breasts
  • Other steps you can take

Read more by clicking on the above link and please let us know if it's helpful.

Comments

  • beesie.is.out-of-office
    beesie.is.out-of-office Member Posts: 1,435
    edited October 2020

    Mods, to my other post, while the content is excellent, I think it would be helpful to add an explanation of breast density and age. Most pre-menopausal women have dense breasts. This is important context for younger women, who often worry unnecessarily when they are told that they have dense breasts.

    image

  • jons_girl
    jons_girl Member Posts: 461
    edited October 2020

    thank you for posting this infomods!

  • moderators
    moderators Posts: 8,681
    edited October 2020

    Jons_Girl, you're welcome!

    Beesie -- thank you for your insight and suggestions! We'll take it back to the editorial team!

    --The Mods

  • rain88
    rain88 Member Posts: 161
    edited November 2020

    Thank you for this posting; very informative.

  • Momof2G
    Momof2G Member Posts: 2
    edited July 2021

    I have dense breasts to the point mammogram didn't catch my tumor at all! I could see and feel it as well. I wish mine were normal

  • Carlsoda
    Carlsoda Member Posts: 120
    edited July 2021

    Mammogram missed my cancer two times (recurrence now)! Thank goodness I found it! Do your monthly breast checks!!!

  • homemom
    homemom Member Posts: 842
    edited February 2022

    I find it interesting that dense breasts have more glandular tissue (produces milk) yet I struggled highly trying to breastfeed. Just thinking out loud about that.Loopy

  • mvr168
    mvr168 Member Posts: 8
    edited June 2022

    I appreciate this information. Everyone who sees my mammogram tells me I have incredible dense breasts. My mammogram came back normal but my ultrasound resulted in 3 core biopsies I am waiting on.

  • bcat34
    bcat34 Member Posts: 12
    edited September 2022

    I found a new mammogram provider to bypass a long queue here in Ontario. I kept one breast and lost the other one to cancer. As a result, the good breast is supposed to have annual imaging every August, but delays in the broken system here in Ontario were going to push my August to end of November. I jumped at the chance to have my annual mammogram on time. The downside is, the new provider had no prior images to work with because there's no shared repository of imagery. I still have a dense breast and there are no 3D mammograms available to me. One year, my benign fibroadenoma was completely missed here. I'm in for retakes and an ultrasound this morning because of my dense breast tissue. It's even more terrifying than my usual annual scanning, even 10 years out to get called back in for more peeking. Wish me luck?

  • brinkofeternity
    brinkofeternity Member Posts: 181
    edited September 2022

    bcat34 - Hope it’s nothing!

    All my mammograms always said I have extremely dense breasts. When my tumor was felt, found on ultrasound, biopsied, and diagnosed, mammograms (3D or not) still showed nothing.

    Now at the age of 45 my mammogram finally says I have heterogeneously dense breast tissues. Maybe mammogram can be a bit more helpful for me from now on. We’ll see.