Approximately 26 million Americans ages 15–50 have fibroids, making it one of the most common gynecological conditions nationwide and a growing and overlooked public health issue. One study found that more than 80% of Black women and nearly 70% of white women have fibroids by age 50. Black women are at higher risk for the disease, tend to develop fibroids earlier in life and have larger tumors, and are three times more likely to be hospitalized for the condition than white women.
Stigma around menstrual issues has contributed to a lack of public awareness about fibroids and insufficient research and development of novel treatments. Fibroids account for an estimated $5.9 billion to $34.4 billion in annual costs to the U.S. health care system, but fibroids research received only $17 million in National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding in 2019, putting it in the bottom 50 of nearly 300 tracked conditions.
During the briefing, panelists provided an update on the state of fibroid research, discussed unmet needs in the field, and shared insight on what policy actions could help improve care for women with fibroids. They also discussed the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act of 2021 (H.R. 2007), which would increase research funding for fibroids, improve awareness and training, and seek to measure cost to government payers.
This event was in partnership with the Fibroid Foundation, the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the White Dress Project, and the Society of Interventional Radiology.
