Senator Christine Rolfes of Washington, however, says that while medical professionals are cooperating more now, many have been hesitant to adopt such measures for fear of causing greater anxiety among patients.

“I think, at least from the experience in our state and my understanding of what other legislatures have faced, that the medical industry has stood in the way because physicians don’t like legislatures telling them how to do their job. Until recently, there was not a kind of best practices," she told HCB News. "Physicians didn’t want to have one end panicking when they got their mammogram back from the radiologist, and the physicians felt like they would not be able to advise women on what to do next."

Though the fight to include the presence of dense breast tissue in mammogram reports extends beyond the state level, reaching all the way to Congress.

U.S. Senators Dianne Feinstein and Dean Heller, for instance, recently introduced the Breast Density and Mammography Reporting Act of 2017, which proposes establishing a minimum federal standard that would require women to be notified if they have dense breast tissue.

The Wisconsin bill was also championed by Dr. Nancy M. Cappello, founder and director of Are You Dense Inc. and Are You Dense Advocacy Inc., grassroots organizations that succeeded in aiding the passage of the first mammogram law in 2009 in Connecticut.

The law is set to take effect in several days following its publication.

Legislation for density reporting bills have also been introduced in Illinois, West Virginia, New Mexico and Georgia this session.

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