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Breast MRI
Breast MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) uses radio waves and strong magnets to make detailed pictures of the inside of the breast.
When is breast MRI used?
MRI uses strong magnets instead of radiation to make many detailed, cross-sectional pictures of soft tissue parts of the body.
Breast MRI might be used in different situations. These include:
For certain women at high risk for breast cancer, a screening breast MRI is recommended along with a yearly mammogram. MRI is not recommended as a screening test by itself because it can miss some cancers that a mammogram would find.
Although MRI can find some cancers not seen on a mammogram, it’s also more likely to find things that turn out not to be cancer, called false positives. This can result in getting unneeded tests or biopsies. This is why MRI is not recommended as a screening test for women at average risk of breast cancer.
Breast MRI might be done if breast cancer is suspected based on symptoms, such as suspicious nipple discharge, or exam findings. Other imaging tests such as mammograms and breast ultrasound are usually done first, but MRI might be done if the results of these tests aren’t clear.
If breast cancer has already been diagnosed, breast MRI is sometimes done to help determine the exact size and location of the cancer, to look for other tumors in the breast, and to check for tumors in the other breast.
Breast MRI can be used to check for implant leaks in people with silicone breast implants. It isn’t used for saline breast implants.
Tips for getting ready for the test
Check with your insurance provider before getting an MRI: Breast MRI can cost a lot, and it might need to be approved by your insurance company before the scan is done. Most private insurance plans that pay for mammogram screening also pay for MRI as a screening test if a person is shown to be at high risk. It might help to go to a center with a breast health or high-risk clinic, where the staff has experience getting approval for breast MRIs.
Look for a well-equipped breast MRI facility: Not all hospitals and imaging centers have breast MRI equipment, such as a dedicated breast coil. It’s important to have a breast MRI done at a facility that has dedicated equipment and can do an MRI-guided breast biopsy if needed – or a facility that partners with one that can.
Follow all instructions: You don’t usually need to do anything special to prepare for an MRI, but follow any instructions you’re given.
If you have trouble with enclosed spaces: Breast MRI is most often done while you are lying on your belly with your arms above your head inside a long, narrow tube. If being in a tight space might be a problem for you, you might need to take medicine to help you relax while in the scanner. Talking with the technologist or a patient counselor or getting a tour of the MRI machine before the test can also help. You’ll be alone during the test, but you can talk to the technologist, who can see and hear what’s going on in the exam room.
If you have metal in your body: It is very important to tell your doctor and the technologist if you have any metal in your body, including, but not limited to:
- Surgical clips
- Staples, screws, plates, or stents
- Artificial joints
- Metal fragments (shrapnel)
- Tattoos or permanent makeup
- Artificial heart valves
- Implanted infusion ports, nerve stimulators, or breast expanders
If you have any of the following, do not even enter the MRI scanning area unless you are told to do so by a radiologist or technologist who is aware of it:
- An implanted defibrillator or pacemaker
- Clips used on a brain aneurysm
- A cochlear implant
- Metal coils put inside blood vessels
You might need an x-ray to check for metal objects if there’s any doubt.
What’s it like to get a breast MRI?
MRI scans are usually done in an outpatient setting in a hospital or clinic.
Before the test
Before the test, you'll be asked to undress and put on a gown or other clothes without zippers or metal. Be sure to remove any metal objects you can, such as hair clips, jewelry, dental work, and body piercings.
You'll first have an IV line placed in a vein in your arm so that contrast material can be injected during the test.
You’ll lie face down on a narrow, flat table with your arms above your head. Your breasts will hang down into an opening in the table so they can be scanned without being compressed. The technologist might use pillows to make you comfortable and help keep you from moving. The table then slides into a long, narrow tube.
During the test
The test is painless, but you have to lie still inside the narrow tube. You might be asked to hold your breath or keep very still during certain parts of the test. It’s important to stay as still as you can while the test is being done to help ensure the images will be of good quality.
The machine might make loud thumping, clicking, and whirring noises as the magnet switches on and off. Some facilities give you earplugs or headphones to help block noise out during testing.
When breast MRI is done to look for breast cancer, a contrast material called gadolinium is injected into a vein in the arm during the exam, which helps show any abnormal areas of breast tissue. Let the technologist know if you have any allergies or have had problems before with any contrast or dye used in imaging tests.
Each set of images usually takes a few minutes, and the whole test usually takes about 30 to 45 minutes. After the test, you might be asked to wait while the pictures are checked to see if more are needed.
For a newer MRI technique, known as abbreviated breast MRI, fewer images are taken, so the scan takes less time (usually about 10 minutes).
How are breast MRI results reported?
Doctors use the Breast Imaging Reporting and Data System or BI-RADS to describe results of mammograms, breast ultrasound, and breast MRI. This system sorts the results into categories numbered 0 through 6. Although the categories are the same for each of these imaging tests, the recommended next steps after these tests might be different.
For more details on? the BI-RADS categories, see Understanding Your Mammogram Report.?
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- References
Developed by the P站视频 medical and editorial content team with medical review and contribution by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO).
American College of Radiology. ACR BI-RADS ATLAS – Breast MRI. Reporting System. 2013. Accessed at https://www.acr.org/-/media/ACR/Files/RADS/BI-RADS/MRI-Reporting.pdf on November 29, 2021.
Saslow D, Boetes C, Burke W, et al. P站视频 guidelines for breast screening with MRI as an adjunct to mammography. CA Cancer J Clin. 2007;57(2):75-89.
Slanetz PJ. MRI of the breast and emerging technologies. UpToDate. 2026. Accessed at https://www.uptodate.com/contents/mri-of-the-breast-and-emerging-technologies on April 14, 2026.
Monticciolo DL, Newell MS, Moy L, Lee CS, Destounis SV. Breast Cancer Screening for Women at Higher-Than-Average Risk: Updated Recommendations From the ACR. J Am Coll Radiol. 2023;20(9):902-914.
National Comprehensive Cancer Network. NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology: Breast Cancer Screening and Diagnosis Version 1.2026 – March 5, 2026. Accessed at https://www.nccn.org/professionals/physician_gls/pdf/breast-screening.pdf on March 18, 2026.
Last Revised: July 23, 2026
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