The goal of this study is to understand what roles race and genetics may have in shaping the risk of developing clinically relevant uterine fibroids. To do this we are conducting a research study to learn more about the health histories, experiences, and relevant genetic factors of people with and without uterine fibroids.

Did you know that many women have or are at risk for developing uterine fibroids?

Fibroids affects over 77% of women and African American women are 3-9 times more likely than European American women to have severe cases of fibroids. There is not a good explanation of why uterine fibroids impact some groups of people more than other groups of people. We need YOUR help to understand more about how and why race and other factors impact uterine fibroids.

How can you help?

We are looking for people that are at least age of 38 years old and have or have had a uterus to join our research study.

While this is a study about uterine fibroids, it is also important to know about why people do not develop fibroids. To do this, we are also looking for people that have not had fibroids  to participate in this study.

How will the study be conducted?

Participating in this study is voluntary and will be done all online. Participants will be first asked to consent to being in the study, then they will be asked to complete a survey about their health history and health experiences. The information that participants provide will be private and not shared with anyone not involved in this study. After completing the online survey, participants will be sent a DNA collection kit in the mail. To collect the DNA sample, participants will add their saliva into a little tube and send it back to our lab using pre-paid postage at no cost to the study participant. In addition, some participants might be contacted to invited to discuss more about their life and medical experiences.

Survey responses, genetic information, and interviews will help to learn how life circumstances, medical experiences, and genetics  play some role in the development of clinically relevant uterine fibroids. The general study findings will be emailed to participants and posted on the project website at gabslab.org.

Important Notes

This is a research study. Genetic samples and survey responses are not sold or shared with anyone outside of this project. If a participant chooses to be part of the study their data will only be used to help learn more about the connections between uterine fibroids, genetics and life and medical experiences.

Have questions or want to join?

If you want to learn more about this project, please email Jada Benn Torres, PhD at j.benntor@vanderbilt.edu.

If you are ready to join the study, are at least 38 years old, and are a person who has or has had a uterus you can begin enrolling using this online consent and enrollment form.