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accessHealthNews.net
February 2022
Volume 8 | Issue No. 54
U
terine fibroids and polycystic ovary
syndrome
(PCOS) affect millions of
women every year, but these conditions
disproportionately affect Black women. Uterine
fibroids and PCOS are conditions that cause
growths to form in female reproductive organs.
Fibroids are benign tumors that appear in the
uterus. PCOS causes cysts that occur in one or
both ovaries.
Both have been linked to hormone imbalances
that cause irregular and painful menstrual cycles
and diminish fertility. Most medical professionals
believe that there is no connection between
fibroids and PCOS. However, a
six-year study
of 23,000 Black women by the
Boston University
Slone Epidemiology Center challenges this idea.
The data showed that the incidence of fibroids
was 65% higher among Black women with PCOS
than those without.
Research shows that Black women suffer fibroids
two to three times more than white women.
Black women also tend to experience fibroids
at a younger age and often have more severe
cases. Suffering from fibroids at an earlier age
makes them more likely to undergo surgery, such
as a hysterectomy.
FIGHTING AGAINST "INVISIBLE" CONDITIONS AND
MEDICAL RACISM
About
20% to 50% of all women with fibroids
experience related symptoms, even though
an estimated 80% of women develop uterine
fibroids by age 50. Similarly, an estimated
75% of
women with PCOS go undiagnosed. Moreover,
racial bias in medical settings means that
women of color go undiagnosed at even higher
rates.
PCOS can produce "silent" symptoms, such
as insulin resistance and impaired glucose
metabolism, which medical professionals often
overlook, particularly in Black and Asian women.
This means that PCOS may present differently for
them, which only further complicates the process
of receiving a diagnosis.
Research is also lacking on how fibroids impact
different ethnicities. Misconceptions prevalent
among minority communities around menstrual
cycles and symptoms also contribute to both
conditions going undiagnosed. Many patients
thought symptoms, such as pain during sex,
painful menstrual cramps, and very heavy
periods, were normal.
"Bleeding heavily for 10 days is not normal
at all, but if that's what your mom or sisters
experienced, you might think it is," said
Dr. Erica
Marsh, professor of obstetrics and gynecology at
the
University of Michigan Medical School in an
article. "These misconceptions of 'normal' are a
big reason many women delay treatment and
suffer longer."
"As black women, we are completely overlooked because we are traditionally
heavier or have more curves. We are immediately told to lose weight, which
is not the answer for everyone. When we tell them about our symptoms, they
attribute it to needing to lose weight. They rarely look into anything else."
