Dense breast tissue
Current as of: August 2, 2022
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Sarah Marshall MD - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Howard Schaff MD - Diagnostic Radiology
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Dense breast tissue is made up of thick fibrous tissue and milk glands. It's different from fatty breast tissue, but both kinds of tissue are normal. You can learn how dense your breasts are from your mammogram report.
Dense breast tissue can make cancer harder to see on a mammogram. That's because dense tissue looks white onscreen, just like cancer does.
Things that can affect breast density include family history (genetics), being pregnant, and using estrogen hormone therapy. Age can also make a difference—breast tissue in younger women tends to be denser than in older women who have been through menopause.
Current as of: August 2, 2022
Author: Healthwise Staff
Medical Review:Adam Husney MD - Family Medicine & Sarah Marshall MD - Family Medicine & Kathleen Romito MD - Family Medicine & Howard Schaff MD - Diagnostic Radiology
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