Mammograms and Dense Breasts: Finally, Women's Health

Finally with Dr. Raina Patel · Oct 27, 2026 · 17m

Nearly half of women who get mammograms have dense breasts, and since September 2024 every mammography facility in the U.S. has to tell them. But what does that paragraph at the bottom of the report actually mean? For Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Dr. Raina Patel, a board-certified family medicine and obesity medicine physician, walks through mammograms and dense breasts the way she would with a patient in clinic.

In this episode, Dr. Patel explains what actually happens at a mammogram, how to prepare, the difference between 2D and 3D, and why a callback usually isn't cancer. She breaks down…