MRI stands for magnetic resonance imaging, an imaging technique that uses a very powerful magnetic field and radio waves to obtain highly-detailed images of organs and other tissues located throughout the body. The technique uses no x-rays; instead, the magnetic field of the MRI machine “lines up” tiny subatomic particles that comprise tissues and organs, and the MRI's special radio waves cause these particles to release signals that can be detected and captured by a very sensitive receiver inside the MRI machine. Once these signals are captured, special software is used to produce the highly-detailed images as a series of “slices” of tissue that can be viewed from any angle.

Breast density measures the amount of fatty, glandular and fibrous tissue in the breast. A dense breast consists of more glandular and fibrous tissue than fat. It is not a measure of breast firmness; therefore, a mammogram is the only way to determine your density. Dense tissue is relatively common and found in more than forty percent (40%) of wome...