If you have just been asked to come back after your mammogram, and your heart is pounding as you read this — please, take a breath. That fear is real, it is normal, and you are not overreacting. Almost everyone who gets a callback feels exactly what you are feeling right now.

If your last mammogram letter mentioned that you have dense breasts and you weren’t quite sure what to make of it, you’re not alone. It’s one of the things patients ask us about most, usually with a bit of worry in their voice.