DallasBlack.com Interviews Dr. Slonim for Fibroid Awareness Month
WHAT: The local website, DallasBlack.com, interviewed Dr. Suzanne Slonim about Fibroid Awareness Month. Thank you to DallasBlack.com for helping increase awareness about uterine fibroids! You never know who may be suffering in silence and benefit from this information.
WHEN: 7/16/2021
WHERE: Dallas, Texas
LINK: (Log into Facebook to view) https://www.facebook.com/dallasblackfans/photos/a.10152156208497527/10159221632352527/
Full Interview: Fibroid Awareness for Black Women
An Interview with Dr. Suzanne Slonim of Fibroid Institute Dallas
Dr. Suzanne Slonim is an award-winning Doctor in the Dallas area who has created a movement with her campaign to help ladies become Fibroid Free.
Please tell our readers and community how common fibroids are and why it is important to have the awareness of the different options to treat them.
I started the Fibroid Institute Dallas because America was facing a public health crisis. Fibroid treatment is at the intersection of healthcare equity and racial justice. 80% of Black women will develop fibroids by the age of 50. The pain, stress, and other physical and emotional symptoms of living with uterine fibroids may significantly interfere with a woman’s quality of life, compromise her ability to function normally, and cost women and their families and places of business billions in lost work time and medical procedures. Addressing this women’s health issue has the potential to help women of color save billions of dollars each year. In my position as the founder and medical director of Fibroid Institute Dallas, I can provide women with information about fibroid treatment alternatives. Uterine fibroids research and awareness programs have not received adequate funding levels. That is why I am actively involved in legislation to promote July as Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month in Texas, supporting statewide efforts to educate more women about their treatment options. Recently, State Representative Senfronia Thompson presented legislation for Texas House Bill 1966–designation of July as Uterine Fibroids Awareness Month and House Bill 1967–Improved Uterine Fibroid Education and Research. Both bills were passed in June. With the upcoming enactment of these bills on September 1st, Texas will be the 9th state to have an official designated uterine fibroids awareness month. In addition, to raise awareness of fibroids as the most prevalent and costly health issue affecting women in our own backyard here in DFW, the Dallas City Council joined two U.S. Cities in declaring July Fibroid Awareness Month.
Are fibroids more common with black women than with other races?
Yes, the overall incidence of uterine fibroids is estimated to disproportionately and more severely impact African American women resulting in an incidence rate that is three times greater in African American women. Black women are diagnosed younger, between 29 and 39, and often have multiple and larger fibroids. Their fibroids tend to grow faster and cause more severe symptoms. According to the Black Women’s Health Imperative, the rate of hospitalization for fibroids is three times higher for Black women than white women. They are also two to three times more likely to undergo a hysterectomy and seven times more likely to have a myomectomy. In these surgeries, complications and blood transfusions are more common than in white women. Moreover, a Black woman’s mortality rate has been researched and proven to be higher with surgery.
What are some symptoms of fibroids?
• Pelvic pain or pressure
• Heavy bleeding, which can be heavy enough to cause anemia
• Irregular menstruation
• Constipation or urinary frequency
• Painful sex
• Pain radiating to the lower back, hip, buttock, thigh, or down the leg
• Abdominal bloating and swelling
You have done a lot of events; interviews and you have a monthly radio show. Tell us about some of these and why you feel it is important to have so much awareness.
Pre-pandemic we did mixers to help educate women about fibroids and treatment options. 41% of all women reported seeing two or more providers before receiving a diagnosis of fibroids and most are told about invasive surgical options first, such as hysterectomy. Hysterectomy is the second most common surgery among women of reproductive age in the U.S. Because of this, many patients will come to us behind the backs of their OBGYN’s and we do our best to bring the gynecologists back into the conversation. Then, the next time they have a patient with fibroids, they will offer them the opportunity to learn about Uterine Fibroid Embolization at Fibroid Institute Dallas. UFE is minimally invasive, completed in office, with no incision and recovery takes about a week. Big or small UFE treats them all with over 90% success in reducing fibroid symptoms.
You have received numerous awards and your business has really grown. What are some of the highlights you are most proud of?
Honors include being named for multiple years as D Magazine “Best Doctor” and Texas Monthly’s “Texas Super Doctor” lists, being a Fellow of the Society of Interventional Radiology and the American College of Radiology and most recently, Dr. Slonim received the prestigious Dallas Business Journal’s Women in Business recognition.
What is the best way to get in contact with you if a woman has questions or issues?
Contact us at:
Fibroid Institute Dallas
Phone: 214-838-6440
Email: info@fibroidfree.com