SWHR signed onto a congressional letter of support for H.R. 6383, the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2020. The bill, which was introduced by Rep. Yvette Clarke (D-NY) and currently has 32 cosponsors in the House, would expand and coordinate uterine fibroids research programs under government agency oversight.
Additionally, it calls for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to collect data regarding coverage and treatment of women with uterine fibroids receiving care under a state Medicaid plan. Finally, it would prompt the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to work in conjunction to improve public education on uterine fibroids.
The stigma around menstrual issues has contributed to lack of awareness, diagnosis, and treatment for uterine fibroids, despite being a condition that affects an estimated 26 million women in the United States.
More than 80 percent of Black women and about 70 percent of white women develop fibroids by the time they reach menopause. Black women develop earlier onset fibroids that tend to become larger and more numerous as compared with other women, but much more research is needed to understand this disease and its impact across different populations of women. Education among health care providers and patients on uterine fibroids is also needed.
SWHR joins the Black Women’s Health Imperative and other stakeholders in applauding the efforts of the U.S. House of Representatives to recognize and elevate this important women’s health issue.
Read The Letter
