How to Detect Fibroids: New Bill Aims to Help with Early Diagnosis

Finally, the government is helping women learn how to detect fibroids. U.S. Rep. Shontel Brown has introduced legislation known as the U-FIGHT Act: The Uterine Fibroid Intervention and Gynecological Health and Treatment Act. It aims to give the Secretary of Health and Human Services the ability to award grants that can increase early fibroid detection, along with early intervention through the creation of research projects along with education and awareness programs.

Motivated by her own journey, Rep. Brown said that having fibroids “was like having an uninvited guest take over your body, month after month, for years.” And, due to her long journey with painful menstruation, her mental health suffered to the point that she chose to have a hysterectomy. Today, she knows things don’t have to play out that way, and she hopes helping more women detect fibroids at an earlier stage will also reduce the number of avoidable hysterectomies in this country.

Why and How to Detect Fibroids Early

As Brown explains, there is currently no comprehensive federal program to address fibroid care; she believes the bill will help fill that gap. Furthermore, she notes early fibroid detection would also reduce women’s suffering, particularly that of Black women, who are disproportionately impacted by these uterine tumors.

She says, “A lot of women, a lot of Black women, when there is so much pain, they think that this is just part of being a woman, a normal part of your period. Too many women delay medical care or are denied full treatment and care because they don’t know that the symptoms they’re suffering through aren’t normal.” As such, with increased education, she believes women would speak up sooner about their fibroid symptoms, reducing the stigma and improving the rate of early diagnoses. In conclusion, she noted, “While not all fibroids require treatment, detection and intervention can reduce symptoms and complications, particularly among women of color, who are impacted by them at a higher rate.”

Luckily, Rep. Brown is not alone in her advocacy—her bill is cosponsored by 50 other members of the House of Representatives, and is endorsed by The White Dress Project, The Fibroid Foundation, Black Health Matters, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Birthing Beautiful Communities, The Center for Black Health & Equity, University Hospitals, Cleveland Clinic, and MetroHealth, among other organizations. And, while we can’t ensure her legislation passes, our Houston area fibroid experts are here to help women avoid a hysterectomy by learning about minimally invasive treatment options after they’ve learned how to detect fibroids. So, if you’re living with symptomatic uterine tumors, and are hoping to find relief without surgery, simply reach out to our team of interventional radiologists and request a consultation. [/tx-appt-link.]