Most women have dealt with uterine fibroids, but only a fraction of them will be diagnosed and get the care they need. Many doctors say it’s for a variety of reasons from lack of awareness to women just not wanting to talk about it, to financial hardships.
In recognition of July as Uterine Fibroid Awareness month, the Barbara Jordan Leadership Institute, along with the City of Dallas, corporate, and nonprofit partners will host a series of events to raise awareness and provide educational information about this critical health issue.
An upcoming, Self-Care Fair, hosted in Dallas, hopes to help arm women with information so they don’t have to keep suffering in silence.
“Black women are most commonly, 80% of black women have fibroids, white women,” Dr. Suzanne Slonim of the Fibroid Institute Dallas said. “It's about 50 60% Hispanics are in, in between that and Asians are less than white women, but only about 20% of them are symptomatic, not all of them need to be treated, but the point is to treat them before they become a big problem.”
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She said the biggest part to understand is that it’s treatable.
“You know, it's a multifactorial problem starting from just the community that someone grows up in and the things that they have access to, to the medical situations that start differently in some communities than in others,” Dr. Slonim said.
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Her hope, along with the other doctors who are part of the event, is encourage women to speak with their OB/GYN about getting an updated screening for uterine fibroids and the best treatment options to protect their health. The event will also have giveaways, vendors, screenings on site, music, games, and a lot more.
The event will be held at Cedar Crest Golf Course at 1800 Southerland Avenue in Dallas from 10:00a-2:00pm on Saturday July 29. Registration is free but required to enter the event.
