A study by the University of Sydney warns that telling women they have dense breasts as part of breast cancer screening may cause unnecessary worry and confusion. Breast density means having more glandular and fibrous tissue compared to fat. Dense breasts raise the risk of breast cancer and make mammograms harder to interpret. In Australia, women are already informed about breast density during screening. This practice is being considered in the UK. The study looked at 2,401 Australian women screened for breast cancer between September 2023 and July 2024. All had dense breasts. Women were split into three groups: one not told about their density, one told with written info, and one told with a video link. After eight weeks, those informed felt more anxious and confused. They were also more likely to plan to speak with their GP—22.8% and 19.4%, compared to 12.9% in the uninformed group. The UK’s NHS breast screening currently does not record breast density. Sophie Brooks from Cancer Research UK said, "Having dense breasts could make it harder to detect cancer on a mammogram, but it was not something people could check for themselves or change." She added, "This study suggests that telling women about their breast density has mixed results. Women who were told were more likely to seek advice from their GP, but they were also more likely to feel anxious and confused, highlighting the need for clear information and support. More research is needed to investigate whether informing women about their breast density could have a positive impact or not, and the UK National Screening Committee are currently looking into this." The study concluded that women told their breasts were dense did not feel more informed to make breast health decisions and wanted guidance from their GPs. Melanie Sturtevant of Breast Cancer Now said, "Knowing personal risk of breast cancer could allow people to make informed decisions about their own breast health. But studies like this one are really important to understand the impact of informing people about personal risk factors like breast density, including on a person’s mental health. The findings underline that learning they were higher risk left many women feeling more anxious and confused, and more likely to ask their GP for further information." She continued, "Currently in the UK, routine screening does not involve recording information about breast density, and a review into whether additional screening should be offered to women with dense breasts is ongoing. While we appreciate the need for a strong, evidence-driven process, we want to see the UK National Screening Committee (UKNSC) conduct this with more urgency and transparency."