Breasts are made up of fibrous, glandular and fatty tissue. Your breasts are considered dense if you have a lot of fibrous or glandular tissue and not much fat. Breast density is determined by the radiologist when reading your mammogram. Approximately 50% of women have dense breasts (C or D). Dense breasts may make cancer detection more difficult.

Density is determined using a 4- level scale:

A- Almost entirely fatty – 10% of women are in class A

B- Scattered areas of fibro glandular density –  40% of women are in class B

C- Heterogeneously dense – 40% of women are in class C

D- Extremely Dense  – 10% of women are in class D

Beginning at age 40, get a yearly mammogram. A mammogram is the only medical imaging screening test proven to reduce breast cancer deaths. It is the gold standard screening tool and many cancers are found because of this exam. Iowa Radiology has adopted 3D digital mammography as standard of care because it has been proven to reduce callbacks and to detect breast cancers much earlier than traditional 2D mammograms.

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If you do or don’t have dense breasts, talk to your doctor. Breast density is just one determining factor that may place you at increased risk of developing breast cancer. You and your doctor can decide if additional testing is appropriate for you.

Iowa Radiology has always reported breast density to your referring provider and beginning in January 2018, in accordance with the changes in Iowa law, we also began reporting density to you in your results letter.

• Overweight after menopause
• Advancing Age
• Diet
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Breast cellular changes
• Nulliparity
• Decreased vitamin D levels
• Exposure to chemicals
• Race/ Ethnicity
• Alcohol Consumption
• Being a woman
• Smoking
• Having dense breasts
• Genetic mutation
• Taking hormones
• Family history of ovarian cancer
• Family history of breast cancer
• Personal history of breast cancer
• Advanced maternal age > 30
• Never breast feeding
• Genetic mutation
• Menstruation < 12 years of age Menopause > 55 years of age
• Lifetime breast cancer risk > 20%
• Certain benign breast changes
• Chest or face radiation after age 30
• DES drug exposure (diethylstilbestrol)
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Iowa Radiology routinely calculates your lifetime risk of breast cancer which is included in our report to your provider.

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The American College of Radiology (ACR) recommends that high risk breast MRI’s be performed every 12 months. Patients at average risk (below 20% lifetime risk) may benefit from abbreviated breast MRI (AB-MRI) every 1-3 years to supplement a yearly screening mammogram.