Mammographic Breast Density, Dense Area, and Breast Area Differences by Phase in the Menstrual Cycle

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Abstract
Background: Mammographic breast density may be greater in the luteal phase (days 15-30) than the follicular phase (days 1-14) of the menstrual cycle; this may have implications for when mammography screening should occur. Objective: Examine whether percent breast density, breast area, or dense area differ by menstrual phase. Methods: We identified 204 premenopausal women with regular periods who were 2; 95% CI, −2.8 to 36.2) and a statistically significant increase in dense area (13.1 cm2; 95% CI, 0.1-26.1) in the luteal compared with the follicular phase. Conclusions: Breast density, breast area, and dense area have small, but probably not clinically meaningful, increases in the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle. However, there are other factors that may differ by menstrual cycle phase that we were unable to assess (e.g., breast compression), which may ultimately influence mammographic sensitivity by menstrual cycle phase. (Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2006;15(11):2303–6)