how do i know if i have dense breasts

You can only know if you have dense breasts through a mammogram, which is an X-ray of the breast tissue. Dense breast tissue is determined by a radiologist who analyzes your mammogram images, comparing the amount of dense tissue (glands, ducts, and connective tissue) to fatty tissue. Breast density is categorized into four levels using the BI-RADS system: A (almost entirely fatty), B (scattered fibroglandular density), C (heterogeneously dense), and D (extremely dense). If your mammogram report indicates categories C or D, you are considered to have dense breasts. Dense breast tissue cannot be identified by how your breasts look or feel, and only mammograms can accurately assess this. Having dense breasts is common and means you have more glandular and connective tissue relative to fatty tissue, which can make detecting abnormalities on a mammogram harder and slightly increase breast cancer risk, so additional screening may be necessary.