Regular health screenings can save a woman’s life. This is true for females of all ages, with the primary benefits including earlier detection for everything from potentially life-threatening diseases such as cervical, colon, and breast cancers to life-changing fibroid treatment. Regular screenings also lead to personalized treatment options, consistent health monitoring, and the chance to live a longer, healthier life. That said, a recent study revealed that many women in the United States routinely skip or delay vital health screenings. Granted, 90% of women admit screenings of all types are important, but that has not stopped over 40% of them from skipping or delaying a test.
Our team at Fibroid Institute knows how challenging it can be for women of any age to prioritize their health. In many cases, their reasons are less about “finding time” and more about a lack of information or even intense fear about what might happen next. But skipping screenings can have lasting consequences. This includes those for conditions like uterine fibroids, which affect up to 80 percent of Black women and up to 70% of white women by age 50.
Our team at Fibroid Institute Texas believes it is important for women to prioritize their health by keeping up with recommended screenings to ensure fibroids and other conditions are detected and treated early.
Do Any of These Fibroid Symptoms Sound Familiar?
- Painful periods, including heavy or inconsistent cycles
- Debilitating cramps, pelvic pain, and pressure
- Bloating or swelling in the lower abdomen
- Back or leg pain
- Weight gain
- Pain during sexual intercourse
- Urinary frequency
- Constipation, diarrhea, and rectum discomfort
- Fatigue and weakness
A Lack of Prioritizing Health: What a New Study Tells Us
According to a survey by Gallup for the medical technology company Hologic, there is a sizable gap between the amount of women who see regular health screenings as important and those who have missed or delayed these same screenings at one or several points during their lives. Specifically, the study says 43% of the 4,001 women surveyed nationwide admit not keeping up with recommended screenings. That means millions of women in the United States have skipped or delayed a recommended health screening. This “Screening Action Gap” was most evident for life-threatening conditions like breast cancer (41%), cervical cancer (35%), and colon cancer (33%).
The study says 43% of women surveyed nationwide admit not keeping up with recommended screenings. That means millions of women in the United States have skipped or delayed a recommended health screening.
The survey identified three reasons women are likely to skip regular health screenings.
1. Lack of access to relevant, useful health information
Of the women surveyed 58% said they are not fully confident about what screenings they need based on age and personal risk factors. Per the study, this was particularly true among younger women. Three out of 10 Generation Z women and just under 1 in four Millennials said it was hard for them to find the health information they needed to get screened.
2. Inadequate communication with doctors
Among women ages 25 and over, Black women (67%) were less likely than white women (72%) to have spoken with a healthcare professional about cervical cancer screening. Black women also were less likely to have been screened. The study states that women who discussed screenings with their doctors were more likely to get screened, but these conversations often did not happen.
3. Barriers make it difficult to make health a priority
Examples of barriers women face include the ability to balance work, family, and other responsibilities, high costs of healthcare, limited knowledge about health issues or available resources, access to quality healthcare, gender biases, and even body image and self-esteem issues. Young women were more affected by anxiety and concerns about pain.
The survey went on to state that compared with women of other races, Black women were more likely to say screenings are very important to them and were less likely to say they skipped or delayed a screening.
How Does Seeking Fibroid Treatment Fit Into This?
While respondents to the latest Gallup study said their top three missed screenings were for cervical, colon, and breast cancers, others included screenings for skin cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and various other conditions. One could surmise that skipping out on critical screenings for future fibroid treatment is also included. Additional studies researched over the years back up this statement.
According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, women wait an average of 3.6 years before seeking treatment for leiomyomas, also known as uterine fibroids. This means that rather than report to their gynecologist or primary care provider that they have fibroid symptoms, they do not do anything. A total of 968 women aged 29-59 with self-reported symptomatic fibroids participated in this national survey and those who had jobs stated that their symptoms caused them to miss work or prevented them from reaching their career potential.
While the study above had a healthy mix of white, Black, and other race respondents, a second study, this one published by the Journal of Women’s Health, states that Black women take an average of almost four years to seek treatment. By this point, their fibroid symptoms are likely worse, and the number of fibroids they have now doubled in size and quantity—making fibroid treatment more challenging.
According to a study published by the National Institutes of Health, women wait an average of 3.6 years before seeking treatment for leiomyomas, also known as uterine fibroids.
Many of the theories as to why women wait so long to seek help match up with those from the Gallup poll:
- They normalize it — They believe their fibroid symptoms are part of being a woman and will go away with time.
- Concerns over surgical options — A hysterectomy is no longer the only fibroid treatment option. However, for some women it may be the recommended choice or for others or the only option presented to them. This leads to fear, especially in women under 40 who want to get pregnant.
- Inadequate educational material — Not as many women feel they have access to the right materials to help them understand their condition and the many treatment options available.
- Insurance coverage — They believe health insurance will not cover out-of-pocket expenses for fibroid treatment.
We Make It Easy to Seek Fibroid Treatment
Health screenings for fibroid treatments such as uterine fibroid embolization (UFE) are safe and highly effective. Unlike a hysterectomy or myomectomy, UFE is not fibroid surgery. Rather than remove fibroids, UFE shrinks them. By doing so, a woman who is afraid of fibroid surgery can avoid all of that but still achieve highly successful results.
Here is how it works: Patients are evaluated during a consultation appointment. Ultrasound, CT scan, and MRI are all forms of electronic imaging that can help determine proper fibroid treatment. They are quick, safe, and painless, yet each serves a unique purpose in helping your doctor with proper fibroid diagnosis.
- Ultrasound — This imaging tool uses sound waves to take a picture of your uterus. With ultrasound, your doctor can determine if you have fibroids and show you the size of each one.
- MRI — An MRI, or Magnetic Resonance Imaging, is more costly than ultrasound because it uses a large, special magnet to take pictures of the body. That said, an MRI shows fibroids that are not visible on ultrasound and the most detail in terms of the number, size, and exact location of the fibroids.
- CT scan — With this procedure, several X-ray pictures are taken of your body from different angles. This is the only one of the three imaging tests that require some form of radiation, as it allows a doctor to see into the body.
If you are a candidate for UFE, we will coordinate your care based on your schedule. During the UFE procedure, our fibroid doctors will make a tiny nick on your left wrist. A small catheter is inserted through this into your radial artery. We then use X-ray guidance to locate the vessels that supply blood to your fibroids. Small particles are injected into the vessels, blocking blood flow feeding the fibroids thereby causing them to shrink and then die.
As previously mentioned, there is no hospital stay and no incisions. UFE can be performed under anesthesia and treats all fibroids at once. Furthermore, recovery time generally takes about 7 days for many women.
Additional advantages of UFE at Fibroid Institute include:
- Tiny wrist puncture, no need for vaginal access
- Covered by most major medical insurance
- Over 90% effective in reducing symptoms
- Procedure typically takes less than an hour
- Avoids side effects of hormone therapies typically used to treat fibroids
- Patients get direct access to their doctor’s mobile number
- All providers are fibroid experts and UFE specialists
Fibroid Treatment Starts With Health Screenings
Do you have questions about fibroid treatment, including the best health screenings and imaging tests for proper fibroid diagnosis? At Fibroid Institute, we do not believe you need to decide between suffering in silence and having invasive surgery. That is why we are dedicated to treating fibroids using uterine fibroid embolization (UFE), the gold standard in non-surgical fibroid treatment.
Thousands of women visit Fibroid Institute year-round to meet our highly specialized fibroid treatment team who offer concierge-level care. Meet some of these women here:
Our fibroid doctors are board-certified interventional radiologists and experts who are passionate about helping women become #FibroidFree. Because experience matters, our physicians have completed more than 40,000 interventional radiology cases over the course of a combined 55 years of experience.
Most major medical insurance providers cover the cost of UFE. Get started now by calling our Dallas fibroid clinics at 214-838-6440, our Houston fibroid clinics at 713-903-3733, or by completing complete the form below.
This information is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Prior to starting any new treatment or if you have questions regarding a medical condition, always seek the advice of your doctor or other qualified health provider.
Fibroid Institute Texas serves the Dallas and Houston areas including Addison, Carrollton, Plano, Frisco, Craig Ranch, McKinney, Allen, Fort Worth, Grand Prairie, HEB, Arlington, Hutchins, Irving, Duncanville, DeSoto, Cedar Hill, Lancaster, Cockrell Hill, Highland Park, University Park, Park Cities, Garland, Mesquite, Richardson, Dallas, Sherman, Houston, Sugar Land, Katy, Webster, Clear Lake, The Woodlands, Universal City, Spring, Kingwood, Stafford, Conroe, Texas City, Cypress, League City, Bellaire, and more.
*Patient names and/or photos may be changed to protect patient confidentiality.