The Food and Drug Administration has updated its regulations when it comes to mammograms.Mammogram reports will soon be required nationwide to tell a woman if she has dense breasts.Doctors in the Pittsburgh area told Pittsburgh’s Action News 4 that, while 38 states already include that detail on mammogram reports, this nationwide requirement could save lives.Dr. Wendie Berg is a professor of radiology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and specializes in breast imaging. She said she understands the power of mammogram information all too well.“My own cancer was hidden on my own mammogram, and I knew enough to seek an MRI, which showed it. It was caught early, and I feel all women need a chance to have that happen,” Berg said.Berg said many women have been unaware that their breast tissue could be hiding cancer.She shared this side-by-side comparison with Pittsburgh’s Action News 4.“Your breast is made up of two types of tissue, fat, which is typically gray on a mammogram, and fibro glandular tissue. That’s what we call density. That’s white on a mammogram, so cancer can also usually be white on a mammogram, so it makes it more difficult,” said Dr. Matt Miller, associate residency programming director for diagnostic imaging.Miller, who specializes in breast image radiology, said women will be given this vital information on each mammogram report.“She will see, ‘OK, I have dense breasts, I need to self-advocate. I need to make sure that my primary care doctor knows that there are additional tests available for me to undergo so that we can detect breast cancer early if it develops,’” Miller said.This change comes days after the Pennsylvania State Senate passed Senate Bill 8, which, if signed into law, would require insurance companies to cover the cost of supplemental screenings with MRI or ultrasound, with no out-of-pocket cost to the patient.Despite efforts in the past, Berg said there were barriers.“There was a law that passed in 2020 in Pennsylvania requiring insurance coverage for supplemental screening with MRI or ultrasound, but it was subject still to co-pay or deductible, and many women have high deductible plans,” Berg said.According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in eight women will develop breast cancer in her life.The FDA guidelines will officially be required nationwide by September 2024.