Poor women of color don't usually have their fibroid tumors ignored. Instead, they are urged to get hysterectomies - which are no longer necessary in these cases now that less invasive procedures are available.
A lot has been done in recent years to improve the education of patients AND doctors in this area so that the full range of options are better known.
Congresswoman Tubbs Jones And Senator Mikulski Fight To Increase Federal Funding For Uterine Fibroid Research Washington, DC - Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH) today introduced H.R. 2157, the Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act of 2003, in the United States House of Representatives. This legislation would double federal funding for uterine fibroid research. The bill would also fund a public education campaign on the condition. Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is introducing identical legislation in the U.S. Senate.
"While three quarters of all reproductive age women have uterine fibroids, little is known about them and few good treatment options are available," said Representative Tubbs Jones. "Right now, hysterectomy is the most common treatment for uterine fibroids, accounting for 200,000 (or 30%) of all hysterectomies in the United States. Women deserve better. That’s why I am introducing the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act - to find new and better ways to treat or even cure uterine fibroids. Since my first days in Congress, I have been fighting to make sure women don’t get left out or left behind when it comes to their health. This legislation will address this silent epidemic among American women."
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 two to three times more likely to develop uterine fibroids. Uterine fibroids are the most common cause of hysterectomies in the United States. According to a study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, there is "a remarkable lack of high quality evidence supporting the effectiveness of most interventions for symptomatic fibroids."
More specifically, this legislation will authorize $10 million in federal funding for uterine fibroid research each year for five years. Despite a budget of over $27 billion, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) spent only $5 million on uterine fibroids research last year. This legislation would double the funding, providing the investment needed to jumpstart basic research and lay the groundwork to find a cure. Research is needed to find out what causes uterine fibroids and why African American women are disproportionately affected.
In addition, this bill creates a program to educate health care providers about uterine fibroids. According to a 1999 survey conducted by the Society for Women's Health Research, as many as one-third of women who have hysterectomies do so without discussing potential alternatives with their doctors. This bill will help make sure women get the information they need from their doctors on the best treatment for uterine fibroids. The legislation will also provide information to the public on uterine fibroids and ways the condition can be treated.
http://www.house.gov/tubbsjones/pr_2003/pr032005.html