Should I be worried about extremely dense breast tissue?
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Should I be worried about extremely dense breast tissue?
Dense breast tissue is common and is not abnormal. However, dense breast tissue can make it harder to evaluate the results of your mammogram and may also be associated with an increased risk of breast cancer.
What does extremely dense breast tissue mean?
Listen to pronunciation. (ek-STREEM-lee dents brest TIH-shoo) A term used to describe breast tissue that is made up of almost all dense fibrous tissue and glandular tissue. On a mammogram, the dense areas of the breast make it harder to find tumors or other changes.
Can dense breast tissue turn into cancer?
Yes, women with dense breasts have a higher risk of breast cancer than women with fatty breasts, and the risk increases with increasing breast density.
How often does dense breast tissue turn into cancer?
How do dense breasts increase breast cancer risk? Having dense breasts inherently increases the risk for breast cancer by two to four times. In a mammogram, which is a black-and-white X-ray of the breast, non-dense breast tissue appears black and transparent.
What is the treatment for dense breast tissue?
Have a lower body mass index. Women with less body fat are more likely to have more dense breast tissue compared with women who are obese. Take hormone therapy for menopause. Women who take combination hormone therapy to relieve signs and symptoms of menopause are more likely to have dense breasts.
How do you treat dense breast tissue?
How can I lower my breast density?
Unfortunately, there’s not much a woman can do about the density of her breast tissue, the researchers noted. “Treatment with tamoxifen, an estrogen hormone blocker, is the only intervention currently known that substantially reduces breast density, and thus reduces breast cancer risk,” Engmann explained.
How common is extremely dense breast tissue?
Extremely dense indicates that nearly all of the breast tissue is dense. About 1 in 10 women has this result.
Does losing weight help dense breasts?
No. Fat content in what you eat and exercise do not directly change breast density. But if you lose or gain a lot of weight, your breasts can look more or less dense on your mammogram – though the amount of dense tissue will stay the same.
What do I do if I have dense breast tissue?
More frequent breast screening
What can be done to decrease dense breast tissue?
Decrease or eliminate red meat,transition towards a plant-based diet
What does dense breast tissue feel like?
What does “dense” breast tissue feel like exactly? On my right breast, there are large sections below the fat that feel firmer and movable but not rock-hard. My left breast has similar sections in some places but they are significantly softer. Like the breast tissue is just thicker and firmer than on the other side.
Should you worry about dense breast tissue?
Dense Breasts 101: What You Need To Know if You Have This Type of Breast Tissue. If you have dense breast tissue, you’re at higher risk for breast cancer and your breasts will be harder to
