Uterine Fibroids Linked to Increased Heart Disease Risk
Women younger than 40 with fibroids may face even greater odds of developing heart disease, according to a new study. Scientists say more research is needed to understand the connection.
As many as 1 in 5 women may have uterine fibroids during their childbearing years — and those abnormal growths may have a connection not just to reproductive health but also to heart health.
According to a new study, women with fibroids had an 81 percent higher risk of developing long-term heart disease than those without the fibroid diagnosis.
“This study, which found a strong association between fibroids and heart disease, highlights the importance of identifying and studying new heart disease risk factors that are specific to women. Understanding the mechanisms linking fibroids and heart disease could be important to help prevent heart disease in the long term,” says Susanna Mitro, PhD, a scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research who has delved into uterine fibroids and heart disease risk but was not involved in the current investigation.
Women With Fibroids, Especially Those Younger Than 40, at Greatest Risk for Heart Disease
Researchers analyzed health data from the years 2000 to 2022 for more than 450,000 women diagnosed with uterine fibroids and compared it with data for 2.25 million women without the diagnosis, all with an average age of 41. The team monitored these groups for heart disease over a decade.
Here’s what they found at the 10-year mark when they compared women with and without fibroids.
The risk of heart disease was about 80 percent greater in women with uterine fibroids, meaning their risk was almost twice as high.
In women under 40, the risk of heart disease was almost 250 percent greater in those with uterine fibroids, meaning their risk was more than three times as high.
Women with uterine fibroids were at a higher risk of developing three major heart conditions — coronary artery, cerebrovascular, and peripheral artery diseases.
Women diagnosed with uterine fibroids across all racial and ethnic groups were at an increased risk of heart disease.
“This is an extremely important yet historically understudied area of research, so increased attention can drive further investigation into female-specific cardiovascular risk factors,” says the lead study author, Julia DiTosto, a PhD candidate in epidemiology at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine in Philadelphia.
What Are Uterine Fibroids, and How Might They Be Increasing Heart Disease Risk?
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths that develop within the tissue of the uterus, potentially as a result of hormonal and genetic factors. It’s estimated that as many as 80 percent of women will develop fibroids by the time they turn 50.
While many fibroids don’t trigger any symptoms, others can grow large and multiply, leading to symptoms like pelvic pain, frequent urination, and heavy menstrual bleeding.
The relationship between uterine fibroids and heart disease is still not clear, and the researchers behind this study hoped to gain insights. DiTosto says she and her team hypothesize that there could be shared biological pathways between fibroids and changes to the arteries linked to some forms of heart disease. Among the potential links: smooth muscle proliferation (the uncontrolled growth of certain kinds of cells), fibrosis (excessive buildup of scar tissue), calcification (abnormal buildup of calcium), and inflammatory responses (overreaction of the body’s immune system).
As Dr. Mitro points out, the latest research is one of the largest studies to examine links between uterine fibroids and a range of cardiovascular disease outcomes, with the existing body of research finding mixed results. “It’s possible that fibroids cause increased heart disease risk, or that another factor is causing both fibroids and increased heart disease. More research is needed in this area,” she says.
Noting that the study was observational, DiTosto says a main study limitation was a lack of data on specific fibroid characteristics — such as fibroid size, number, and location — and she recommends future investigations include those details.
Should You Be Concerned About Heart Health if You Have Fibroids?
Because heart disease is a leading cause of death among women, the research team hopes their findings can inform women’s heart health treatment and outcomes by highlighting the importance of comprehensive health histories. “Overall, we think it’s important to highlight that fibroids aren’t just a concern for ob-gyn doctors, but can influence broader conditions,” DiTosto says.
Experts suggest consulting a healthcare provider for individualized guidance around uterine fibroid and heart health risk factors, potentially using the annual well-woman visit as an opportunity for discussion.
“Because fibroids are very common, especially in midlife, these findings along with corroborating evidence could be important to help refine future cardiovascular risk prediction for women,” Mitro says. “I hope that these findings will encourage much more research in this area to better understand the biological mechanisms connecting fibroids and heart health.”
EDITORIAL SOURCES
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Resources
Medical Encyclopedia: Uterine Fibroids. MedlinePlus. March 31, 2024.
Emily Kay Votruba has copy edited and fact-checked for national magazines, websites, and books since 1997, including Self, GQ, Gourmet, Golf Magazine,Outside, Cornell University Press, Penguin Random House, and Harper's Magazine. Her projects have included cookbooks (Padma Lakshmi's Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet), self-help and advice titles (Mika Brzezinski's Know Your Value: Women, Money, and Getting What You're Worth), memoirs (Larry King's My Remarkable Journey), and science (Now You See It: How the Brain Science of Attention Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Learn, by Cathy Davidson). She started freelancing for Everyday Health in 2016.
Cristina Mutchler is an award-winning journalist with more than a decade of experience covering health and wellness content for national outlets. She previous worked at CNN, Newsy, and the American Academy of Dermatology. A multilingual Latina and published bilingual author, Cristina has a master's degree in Journalism from the E.W. Scripps School of Journalism at Ohio University.
