This week, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposed changes to improve and modernize breast cancer screening. In their proposal, the FDA submitted amendments to the current regulations that would provide patients with more detailed information. This information, which would include breast density, would help patients make better decisions regarding their personal health care.

BY Bonnie Annis

PUBLISHED March 30, 2019

Bonnie Annis is a breast cancer survivor, diagnosed in 2014 with stage 2b invasive ductal carcinoma with metastasis to the lymph nodes. She is an avid photographer, freelance writer/blogger, wife, mother and grandmother.

Are you dense? I’m not referring to your mental abilities, I’m referring to your breasts. Have you felt them lately? I’m very concerned with your answer and so is the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), it seems.

For the first time in over 20 years, the FDA feels amendments to current regulations would not only improve the quality of mammography services but would help them enforce those same regulations by monitoring both quality and safety. This is good news for women and men.

Breasts are composed of milk glands, milk ducts, supportive and fatty tissues.  In women with dense breasts, there is more dense tissue than fatty tissue. This density makes it difficult for women to palpate their breasts accurately during breast self-exams and also makes it challenging for mammograms to detect breast cancer.

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