Tallahassee, Fla. – To raise awareness for uterine fibroids and prevent and adequately treat fibroids, the Florida State Legislature approved a Democrat State Rep. Anika Tene Omphroy-sponsored bill which requires the Florida Department of Health to take an active approach to help women battle the non-cancerous tumors.
The House and Senate approved Omphroy’s House Bill 543 and Jacksonville Democrat Sen. Audrey Gibson’s companion bill (SB1010) as the annual 60day Florida Legislative Session is winding down.
If Gov. Ron DeSantis signs the bill into law, it will take effect on July 1, 2022.
The non-cancerous tumors grow in and around women’s uterus that cause excessive bleeding, chronic pain and discomfort, affecting the lives of women, Omphroy said.
Uterine fibroids often appear during women’s childbearing years and affect mostly women between the ages of 30 to 50 years, but Black women are more at risk to have fibroids than women of other racial groups.
Black women are also likely to have more or larger fibroids, along with more severe symptoms, and have fibroids at younger ages, as young as 15, as race and heredity are among the risk factors.
Uterine fibroids aren’t associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer but can complicate women’s lives, especially if they are pregnant, according to the Florida Department of Health.
Omphroy’s bill requires DOH to launch an effective research and education program for diagnosis and treatment of uterine fibroids and ensures that women are provided with relevant information and proper health care to prevent and treat the non-cancerous tumors.
The DOH would develop and maintain an electronic database consisting of information related to uterine fibroids and require healthcare providers to submit information to the department for inclusion in the database.
The information includes describing the symptoms of uterine fibroids and how often women should get a checkup with their doctors to prevent it and stop it from getting worse.
Omphroy, whose district includes Lauderhill and Sunrise and portions of Fort Lauderdale with a predominantly Black population, said uterine fibroids can be as small as an apple seed or big as a grapefruit and the symptoms can be overwhelming for women.
"I’m looking for a world that’s fibroids free," she said. "I’m excited my bill in the House has passed and super excited that we were able to make this over the finish line. This bill will help 80 percent of women in Florida."
Uterine fibroids usually don’t stop women from getting pregnant, however, it’s possible that fibroids, especially submucosal fibroids, could cause infertility or pregnancy loss, according to DOH.
Fibroids may also raise the risk of certain pregnancy complications, such as placental abruption, fetal growth restriction and preterm delivery.
The prevalence of uterine fibroids in Florida is comparable to the nation and varies by age and race and ethnicity.
Uterine fibroids are rare among women who died of a pregnancy-related cause in Florida.
Uterus fibroids range in size from seedlings, undetectable by the human eye, to bulky masses that can distort and enlarge the uterus, according to the Mayo Clinic in Florida.
In extreme cases, multiple fibroids can expand the uterus so much that it reaches the rib cage and can add weight.
Many women have uterine fibroids sometime during their lives but might not know it because they often cause no symptoms.
A doctor may discover fibroids incidentally during a pelvic exam or prenatal ultrasound.
Doctors don’t know the cause of uterine fibroids but research and clinical experts said genetic changes, hormones and other growth factors may cause fibroids.
Doctors believe that uterine fibroids develop from a stem cell in the smooth muscular tissue of the uterus (myometrium), according to the Mayo Clinic.
A single cell divides repeatedly, eventually creating a firm, rubbery mass distinct from nearby tissue.
The growth patterns of uterine fibroids vary, they may grow slowly or rapidly, or they may remain the same size over the years.
Some fibroids go through growth spurts, and some may shrink on their own.
Many fibroids that have been present during pregnancy shrink or disappear after pregnancy, as the uterus goes back to its usual size.
According to the DOH, Among women with fibroids in Florida since 2019, were most prevalent for Black women ages 15-54, and (48.2 percent), followed by non-Hispance white women (25.4 percent), Hispanic women (23.9 percent) and then nonHispanic women of other races (4.5 percent).
Although there is a range of available fibroid treatment in Florida, patients are often not informed of all their options.
Many believe that hysterectomy, the complete surgical removal of the uterus, is the only treatment option –– and most are unaware and never informed of Uterine Fibroid Embolization.
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