December 10, 2025
2 min read
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Uterine Fibroids Significantly Raise Risk of Heart Disease
In a new study, women diagnosed with these common growths had a more than 80 percent higher risk of developing heart disease over a 10-year period than their peers did
Uterine fibroids—common, often missed and frequently painful growths made of muscle and other tissue inside the uterus—may dramatically raise the risk of heart disease, a new paper finds.
In a study of 2.7 million women, the more than 450,000 who were diagnosed with the growths had a more than 80 percent higher risk of developing heart disease over a 10-year period. Experts estimate that as many as 80 percent of women will develop fibroids by age 50, although the condition often goes undiagnosed, even in people who experience symptoms—which can be debilitatingly painful.*
Although fibroids are very common, and heart disease is also the leading cause of death among women, potential links between the two have been historically understudied, study co-author Julia DiTosto, a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, said in a recent statement. The findings suggest fibroids may function as a biomarker for screening patients who are at greater risk of cardiovascular problems, she added.
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The researchers calculated the study participants’ risk of heart disease at one, three, five and 10 years after their uterine fibroid diagnosis. Notably, the study found that participants under the age of 40 showed a strong link between fibroids and heart disease, with a 251 percent higher risk at 10 years.
The study didn’t conclude that fibroids cause heart disease or look at whether treating a woman’s fibroids or surgically removing them might affect her cardiovascular risk. And the research could not fully account for participants who had undiagnosed fibroids. But, DiTosto said in the statement, there is research to suggest fibroids and heart disease may share some features that could explain the connection.
“The strength of the relationship between heart disease risk and uterine fibroids was striking,” DiTosto said. “However, it’s important to note that more research is needed to confirm these findings in other populations” before changing the guidelines for assessing someone’s risk of cardiovascular disease. But the results do suggest, she added, that those who know they have fibroids should have thoughtful conversations with their doctors about heart health.
*Editor’s Note (12/10/25): This sentence was edited after posting to correct the estimate of how many women will develop fibroids by age 50.
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