HEALTHIER YOU: Understanding uterine fibroids in Black women

BY DR. MARGUERITE BRATHWAITE OB-GYN

The month of July is Fibroid Awareness Month. As African-American women, we are accustomed to hearing many of our friends, family members and others speak about having uterine fibroids or knowing someone who is suffering from them. 

It is no secret that African-American women suffer disproportionately, yet we understand little about what causes this disparity. 

Uterine fibroids, also termed leiomyomas or myomas, are the most common benign gynecologic tumors; ultrasound evidence shows that more than 80% of African-American women and approximately 70% of white women will have uterine fibroids by age 50. However, because only 20% to 50% of all women with fibroids experience related symptoms, and because screening for fibroids is not routinely performed, the true incidence is difficult to ascertain. 

For women in their 40s and 50s, abnormal bleeding is the most common reason to seek gynecologic consultation, and fibroids are one of the most common causes of this symptom. Pelvic pain, another common reason for gynecologic consultation, is a symptom often associated with fibroids. 

These symptoms markedly alter the quality of life and reproductive health in affected women. Treatment options include many alternatives to hysterectomy, including medical therapies, minimally invasive surgery, uterine artery embolization, and magnetic resonance — guided focused ultrasound surgery. Hysterectomy, however, remains the most common intervention, and in the United States, fibroids are the leading indication for hysterectomies.