One in 14 women of reproductive age have uterine fibroids: Aussie-first study

Women experiencing headaches or migraines, fatigue and urinary incontinence were more likely to be diagnosed.

One in 14 Australian women have been diagnosed with uterine fibroids before the age of 50, according to the first national estimates of the prevalence of the gynaecological condition.

University of Queensland researchers also found that the incidence increased with age and peaked in women aged 40-44 years, at five cases per 1000 person-years.

“Establishing these first estimates will help inform health policy and healthcare provision in the Australian context,” they wrote in Human Reproduction.

Their observational prospective cohort study used data from more than 8000 participants born from 1973 to 1978 in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health (ALSWH) who were followed for over 22 years.