For millions of women, uterine fibroids have long meant years of heavy bleeding, pain, and fatigue. New research shows the condition also carries serious consequences for heart health, adding another layer to persistent racial health disparities that already place Black women at higher risk.
A large study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that women diagnosed with fibroids face an 81% higher long-term risk of cardiovascular disease than women without the condition. That elevated risk includes heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease, and it appears across races and age groups. The burden, however, is not evenly shared.
Black women are disproportionately affected by fibroids, which develop earlier, grow larger, and occur more frequently than in White women. National surveys have found Black women have roughly triple the rate of fibroids, with tumors appearing about a decade sooner. Many also report that their symptoms are minimized or dismissed, and they are less likely to be offered a full range of treatments, contributing to higher hysterectomy rates.
The heart risks are especially striking for younger women. Among women under 40, those with fibroids had a 3.5 times higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared with peers without fibroids. Julia D. DiTosto, a doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania and study author, said, “Nearly 26 million pre-menopausal women in the U.S. are impacted by uterine fibroids,” yet the condition remains poorly understood.
Dr. Stacey E. Rosen, president of the American Heart Association, said the findings highlight “the unique factors that impact women in regard to the leading cause of death among them — cardiovascular disease.” AHA expert Dr. Eman A. Hamad added that Black women “require even more vigilance” because fibroids intersect with higher rates of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease at younger ages. Together, the findings point to fibroids as a hidden driver of racial gaps in women’s heart health.
See: “Women With Fibroids Have Sharply Increased Heart Disease Risk, Study Says” (December 12, 2025)
