Dense Breasts on Mammogram – No Need to Be Afraid

Only in America can we find a way to scare the bejesus out of a woman with normal breasts and a normal mammogram. But that’s exactly what happened when NY Times reporter Roni Caryn Rabin read her normal mammogram results letter - A sentence in the fourth paragraph grabbed me by the throat. “Your breast tissue is dense.” I can’t really blame Rabin for being afraid. The information about breast density in her mammo letter was mandatory verbiage crafted by legislators as part of a law that all women be told if they have dense breasts on mammogram. “Your mammogram shows that your breast tissue is dense. Dense breast tissue is very common and is not abnormal. However, dense breast tissue can make it harder to find cancer on a mammogram and may also be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer. This information about the result of your mammogram is given to you to raise your awareness. Use this information to talk to your doctor about your own risks for breast cancer. At that time, ask your doctor if more screening tests might be useful, based on your risk. A report of your results was sent to your physician.” Raise awareness? More like raise the alarm. The information mandated by the law is just enough to scare any women who happens to have dense breasts, but not enough to help her understand what this really means. If you’ve gotten a letter telling you your breasts are dense, don’t be afraid. Having dense breasts is entirely...
Source: The Blog That Ate Manhattan - Category: Primary Care Authors: Tags: Breast Cancer Mammography dense breasts mammogram Source Type: blogs