Modern-day Tuskegee Experiment? What Black women are not being told

UFE can replace the need for surgical treatment in almost every instance. The procedure works by blocking blood flow to the fibroids, resulting in tumors dying and symptoms dramatically improving. It has an approximate 90% success rate.⁷ Compared to hysterectomy, UFE is also less expensive,⁶ does not require a hospital stay,⁶ and has a shorter recovery time.⁶ Above all, it allows women to keep their uterus, which means pregnancy and safe childbirth are possible.⁶ Numerous babies have been born to my patients after UFE (even multiple sets of twins).

UFE has been available for 25 years and still 600,000 hysterectomies⁶ are performed annually in the U.S. — the majority to treat fibroids. Not informing women suffering with symptomatic fibroids about UFE is an egregious violation of informed consent. Women with fibroids deserve to know all of their treatment options, not just the surgical ones. Unfortunately, this is a powerful reminder that long after the Tuskegee Experiment, there are health inequities that exist and deserve our attention.

Recently, vice presidential candidate and U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris and U.S. Rep. Yvette Clarke introduced (S. 4397 & H.R. 6383) the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act of 2020. Research in uterine fibroids has heretofore been scant. This legislation will help to increase funding for fibroid research and educational efforts. It will be a step toward bringing more awareness to this condition, perhaps begin to understand where fibroids actually come from, and how to prevent them. It should also highlight less invasive options like UFE, so that women understand that if they are suffering with fibroids they do not need to undergo surgery. To learn more about fibroids or the UFE procedure, please visit ATLii.com.  

REFERENCES

1. Marsh, E. E., Al-Hendy, A., Kappus, D., et al. (2018). Burden, prevalence, and treatment of uterine fibroids: A survey of U.S. women. J Women’s Health(Larchmt), 27(11). https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2018.7076.
2. Lee, N. C. (2019 April 2). It’s not normal: Black women, stop suffering from fibroids. Retrieved from https://www.healthywomen.org/content/article/its-not-normal-black-women-stop-suffering-fibroids.
3. Weiss, G., Noorhasan, D., Schott, L. L., et al. (2009). Racial differences in women who have a hysterectomy for benign conditions. Women’s Health Issues, May-June;19(3):202–210.doi: 10.1016/j.whi.2009.03.001.
4. Laughlin-Tommaso, S. K., Khan, Z., Weaver, A. L., et al. (2018). Cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity after hysterectomy with ovarian conservation. Menopause, 25(5):483–492. doi: 10.1097/GME.0000000000001043.
5. Furst, J. (2019 September 4). Study finds women at greater risk of depression, anxiety after hysterectomy. Retrieved from https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/study-finds-women-at-greater-risk-of-depression-anxiety-after-hysterectomy/.
6. Society of Interventional Radiology. (2017 August 29). The fibroid fix: What women need to know. Retrieved from https://www.sirweb.org/globalassets/aasociety-of-interventional-radiology-home-page/patient-center/fibroid/sir_report_final.pdf.
7. RadiologyInfo. (2020 January 29). Uterine fibroid embolization (UFE). Retrieved from https://www.radiologyinfo.org/en/info.cfm?pg=ufe.