Are You at Risk?

Who is at Risk? *

Very few risk factors have been found to cause fibroids directly; this is due to limited research. However, one of the main risk factors of uterine fibroids is being of reproductive age. Others include: *

• If your grandmother, mother, or sister has had fibroids, you may have an increased risk.
• Lifestyle factors such as the use of birth control, a vitamin D deficiency, drinking alcohol or eating a diet high in saturated fat or inflammatory foods.
• If you got your period at an early age.
• If you are of African-American descent.
• Having a higher body mass index (BMI)

The Fibroid Facts *

• 70-80% of women will get uterine fibroids before turning 50.
• 57% of women do not think they are at risk of developing fibroids.
• One in five women thinks a hysterectomy is the only treatment option for fibroid symptoms.
• 62% of women have never heard of Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE).
• 73% of women did not hear about UFE from a primary physician or gynecologist, instead resorting to online resources, friends, or family members.
• Many fibroids are considered asymptomatic; however, 30-40% of people with fibroids experience symptoms.
• 53.7% of women reported that in the last year, their symptoms negatively impacted their daily life.

*Source: National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), National Library of Medicine