Answers to common breast cancer screening and prevention questions

CHICAGO (WLS) -- About one in eight women will develop breast cancer over the course of her lifetime. October is breast cancer awareness month. It's always good for a refresh on the best way to detect the life-threatening disease.

Dr. Heidi Memmel, a breast surgeon with Advocate Health Care and a breast cancer survivor herself, joined ABC7's Tanja Babich to answer common questions about breast cancer prevention, screening and mammograms.

There's a new law this year in Illinois that requires health care providers to notify women whose test results show they have dense breast tissue. The reason for this is women who have dense breast tissue are at higher risk of developing breast cancer. The higher the breast density, the more difficult cancer is to detect.