Research Highlights:<\/p>\n
\n\tLong-term heart disease risk among women diagnosed with uterine fibroids was more than 80% higher than in women without uterine fibroids, according to a 10-year study of more than 2.7 million U.S. women.
\n\tThe elevated heart disease risk among those with uterine fibroids persisted among all races and ages but was particularly strong in women younger than 40.
\n\tResearchers said more studies are needed to better understand and confirm the relationship between having uterine fibroids and increased heart disease risk \u2014 for now, these findings suggest women diagnosed with fibroids may benefit from enhanced attention to heart health and risk factor management.
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Embargoed until 4 a.m. CT\/5 a.m. ET Wednesday, Dec. 10, 2025<\/p>\n
DALLAS, Dec. 10, 2025 \u2014 Long-term heart disease risk in women diagnosed with uterine fibroids was more than 80% higher than in women without fibroids, according to new independent research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association<\/a>, an open access, peer-reviewed journal of the American Heart Association.<\/p>\n Fibroids are predominately benign growths that develop from the muscle tissue of the uterus. The U.S. Office of Women\u2019s Health<\/a> notes that as many as 20% \u2014 and possibly up to 80% \u2014 of women will develop fibroids by the time they reach age 50.<\/p>\n \u201cNearly 26 million pre-menopausal women in the U.S. are impacted by uterine fibroids and many do not experience any symptoms. Yet despite the high prevalence, fibroids are understudied and poorly understood,\u201d said study author Julia D. DiTosto, M.S., a Ph.D. Candidate in Epidemiology at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. \u201cSome studies have shown that fibroids and cardiovascular disease share biological pathways, including the growth of smooth muscle cells, the excessive buildup of fibrous connective tissue, calcification and inflammatory responses.\u201d<\/p>\n DiTosto noted that those findings have been hindered by limitations including small study sample sizes that lacked diversity and insufficient study design.<\/p>\n \u201cWe set out to address these critical gaps using a large, diverse dataset with extended follow-up,\u201d she said. \u201cOur findings suggest that fibroids may serve as an important marker for identifying women at elevated cardiovascular risk, with sustained increased risk persisting up to 10 years after diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n Researchers looked at a U.S. database of health information from 2000 to 2022. They studied more than 450,000 females (average age 41 years) with fibroids compared to nearly 2,251,000 females who had not been diagnosed with the fibroids. Over the next decade, researchers monitored for incidences of coronary artery disease<\/a> (including heart attack<\/a>), cerebrovascular disease (stroke<\/a> and related conditions) and peripheral artery disease<\/a>.<\/p>\n They found:<\/p>\n
\u201cThe strength of the relationship between heart disease risk and uterine fibroids was striking,\u201d DiTosto said. \u201cHowever, it’s important to note that more research is needed to confirm these findings in other populations before formal changes are made to cardiovascular risk assessment guidelines. In the meantime, these results support having thoughtful conversations between women and their providers about heart health in the context of a fibroid diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThis study highlights yet another aspect in the unique factors that impact women in regard to the leading cause of death among them \u2014 cardiovascular disease,\u201d said Stacey E. Rosen, M.D., FAHA, volunteer president of the American Heart Association and senior vice president of women\u2019s health and executive director of the Katz Institute for Women\u2019s Health of Northwell Health in New York City. \u201cIt also is an opportunity to recognize the very important role all of a woman\u2019s health care clinicians can play in her overall health, including heart health. Because many women may use annual \u201cwell-woman\u201d visits to their gynecologist or their general practitioner as their primary point of care, these visits offer exceptional opportunities that go beyond gynecologic health. These findings linking fibroids to heart disease support the need to discuss the bigger picture that considers ways to identify and reduce cardiovascular disease risk, even among those women who may not have any other apparent risk factors.\u201d<\/p>\n Among the limitations of the study, fibroids may not have been diagnosed yet in women included in the comparison group. While the researchers tried to account for possible underdiagnosis of fibroids, the limitation may have impacted the results to some extent.<\/p>\n Study details, background and design:<\/p>\n
Co-authors, disclosures and funding sources are listed in the manuscript.<\/p>\n Studies published in the American Heart Association\u2019s scientific journals are peer-reviewed. The statements and conclusions in each manuscript are solely those of the study authors and do not necessarily reflect the Association\u2019s policy or position. The Association makes no representation or guarantee as to their accuracy or reliability. The Association receives more than 85% of its revenue from sources other than corporations. These sources include contributions from individuals, foundations and estates, as well as investment earnings and revenue from the sale of our educational materials. Corporations (including pharmaceutical, device manufacturers and other companies) also make donations to the Association. The Association has strict policies to prevent any donations from influencing its science content and policy positions. Overall financial information is available here<\/a>.<\/p>\n ###<\/p>\n Additional Resources:<\/p>\n About the American Heart Association <\/p>\n The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. Dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities, the organization has been a leading source of health information for more than one hundred years. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, we fund groundbreaking research, advocate for the public\u2019s health, and provide critical resources to save and improve lives affected by cardiovascular disease and stroke. By driving breakthroughs and implementing proven solutions in science, policy, and care, we work tirelessly to advance health and transform lives every day. Connect with us on heart.org<\/a>, Facebook<\/a>, X<\/a> or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.<\/p>\n For Media Inquiries and American Heart Association Expert Perspective: 214-706-1173<\/p>\n Cathy Lewis: cathy.lewis@heart.org<\/a><\/p>\n For Public Inquiries: 1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)<\/p>\n heart.org<\/a> and stroke.org<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Research Highlights:
Long-term heart disease risk among women diagnosed with uterine fibroids was more than 80% higher…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":184619,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[4760,99967,99968,103,61,60,99965,99966,99969],"class_list":["post-184618","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health","tag-american-heart-association","tag-fibroids-and-heart-disease","tag-gynecological-health-and-heart-disease","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-julia-ditosto","tag-uterine-fibroids-and-cardiovascular-disease","tag-womens-cardiovascular-disease"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184618","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=184618"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/184618\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/184619"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=184618"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=184618"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=184618"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\tAfter 10-years of follow-up, women with fibroids were at higher risk for all three major conditions (coronary artery, cerebrovascular and peripheral artery diseases).
\n\tThe risk of developing cardiovascular disease was 81% higher among those women with fibroids compared to those without.
\n\tAt 10 years, more than 5.4% of women with fibroids had experienced a cardiovascular event compared to 3% of women without fibroids.
\n\tWomen diagnosed with uterine fibroids were at increased heart disease risk across all racial and ethnic groups (white, Black, Hispanic and Asian groups).
\n\tAmong younger women, under age 40, the risk for cardiovascular disease was 251% higher (or more than 3.5 times more likely) in those with fibroids compared to those without fibroids.
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\n\tThe study included 2,701,062 females, average age of 41 years \u2014 450,177 individuals with uterine fibroids matched to 2,250,885 controls without fibroids
\n\tResearchers at the University of Pennsylvania studied inpatient, outpatient and pharmacy claims from commercially insured individuals from 2000 to 2022 from Optum’s de-identified Clinformatics\u00ae Data Mart Database.
\n\tUterine fibroids were identified using ICD-9\/10, CPT, or HCPCS codes, requiring either >1 inpatient\/outpatient claim \u22651 day apart, or 1 fibroid claim preceded by transvaginal ultrasound or pelvic MRI within 30 days.
\n\tThe outcome was first-time major atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease diagnosis including coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular disease and peripheral artery disease, ascertained using ICD-9\/10 or CPT\/HCPCS codes.
\n\tModels adjusted for sociodemographic factors (age, race\/ethnicity), cardiovascular risk factors (smoking, obesity, sleep apnea, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, hypertension), mental health conditions (depression, anxiety), reproductive\/obstetric history (parity, pregnancy complications, polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), infertility), cancer, health care utilization and medication use.
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