What Are The Risk Factors?

Obviously, gender is the main risk factor for developing this condition, but there are a number of other factors that contribute to a woman’s risk for developing fibroid tumors, including:

●      Age: Our chances of having developed a uterine fibroid increases with age. The risk for developing these tumors usually peaks in a woman’s 30s, with fibroids shrinking after menopause.

●      Ethnicity: African American women are at a higher risk for developing fibroids than Caucasian women

●      Weight: Women who are overweight or obese are at an increased risk, with women who are clinically obese having a risk that is two to three times that of a woman who has a healthy weight.

●      Diet: Along with weight, an unhealthy diet that is rich in red meat has been linked to an increased risk for fibroid tumors, where a diet rich in green vegetables may help prevent the formation of these tumors

●      Family History: A family history of uterine fibroids increases your risk of developing them, too. If your mother has uterine fibroids, you are three times more likely to develop them than someone who doesn’t have a relative with them.

While we know what risk factors increase our chances of developing fibroids, scientists still aren’t sure whether the cause is genetic or environmental, caused by hormone levels in the body. They do know that fibroids are controlled by hormones; they grow quickly when hormone levels are high, and stop growing or shrink after a woman reaches menopause or when she is given anti-hormone medications.