By: Beth Walsh for Fibroids1On June 2nd of this year, Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-Ohio) introduced the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act. Tubbs Jones has introduced the bill every year since 2001. This bill would double federal funding for uterine fibroid research as well as funding a public education campaign on the condition, potentially leading to the discovery of newer and better treatments – and perhaps a cure. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) has introduced companion legislation in the Senate the last two years as well.
| Take Action |
Most fibroids do not require medical intervention. Call your physician, however, if you are experiencing the following symptoms:
Pelvic pain that doesn't go away
Overly heavy or painful periods
Spotting or bleeding between periods
Painful intercourse
Difficulty emptying your bladder
Difficulty moving your bowels
Seek prompt medical care if you have severe vaginal bleeding or sudden, sharp pelvic pain. |
Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous tumors of muscle and tissue that form within a woman's uterine lining. It is estimated that three in every four American women have uterine fibroids, with one in four women seeking medical care for the condition. African-American women are three to nine times more likely to develop uterine fibroids.
Fibroids are the reason for 200,000, or 30 percent, of all hysterectomies in the United States. Historically, hysterectomy has been one of the few treatments available to the 75 percent of childbearing-aged women who suffer from what Sen. Mikulski called a “silent epidemic among American women.”
Hysterectomy eliminates the ability for a woman to have children (or more children), has a relatively high risk of complications and requires several weeks’ recovery time. Less invasive procedures are available, but insurance companies have been slow to reimburse these newer alternatives.
This legislation would authorize $30 million in federal funding for uterine fibroid research each year for five years, doubling the budget from the $15 million in last year’s legislation. With a budget of more than $27 billion, the National Institutes of Health has spent just $5 million on fibroids research over the course of several years. If passed, the bill would also create a program to educate doctors and their patients about fibroids. This step would help women get the information they need to make the best decisions regarding their health. Tubbs Jones has said she would like researchers to learn why African-American women suffer from uterine fibroids at a higher rate.
