Because of a lapse in government funding, the information on this website may not be up to date, transactions submitted via the website may not be processed, and the agency may not be able to respond to inquiries until appropriations are enacted.

The NIH Clinical Center (the research hospital of NIH) is open. For more details about its operating status, please visit cc.nih.gov.

Updates regarding government operating status and resumption of normal operations can be found at OPM.gov.

Audio Briefing: Annual Cost of Fibroid Tumors in the United States

Uterine fibroids are common non-cancerous tumors that affect the majority of American women at some point in their lives. Fibroids may be painful and result in such reproductive problems as infertility, miscarriage, and early labor.

James Segars, M.D., Head, of the NICHD’s Unit on Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, explained results of the study, “The Estimated Annual Cost of Uterine Leiomyomata in the United States External Web Site Policy,” to members of the news media during a telephone briefing on December 20, 2011.

Briefly, fibroids are estimated to cost the United States $5.9 to $34.4 billion each year, in medical expenses and lost productivity.

An audio recording of the briefing is available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/releases/Documents/fibroid_economics_nr122311.mp3 (MP3 - 1 MB) and the briefing transcript is available at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/news/resources/links/Pages/transcript122311_fibroideconomics.aspx

###

About the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

The NICHD sponsors research on development, before and after birth; maternal, child, and family health; reproductive biology and population issues; and medical rehabilitation. For more information, visit the Institute’s Web site at http://www.nichd.nih.gov/.

 
top of page BACK TO TOP