By Kachelle Pratcher ·Updated April 12, 2026 ultrasound evidence indicates that over 80 percent of Black women and about 70 percent of white women will develop fibroids by age 50. The condition can lead to anemia, pelvic pain, urinary problems, and The Fibroid Foundation, was diagnosed with fibroids at age 26 after years of painful, heavy periods that she had assumed were normal. Growing up, she watched her mother cycle through multiple pads and tampons at once and push through.“We normalize it,” Venable says. “I thought that was my plight as well.”
When she finally sought answers, her OB-GYN provided no explanation about fibroids and did not discuss fertility concerns. The only option presented was a hysterectomy. When she sought a second opinion, the surgeon she found punctured her uterus during the procedure and removed nothing. Since then, she has undergone four procedures, including an open a 1960s study of 476 women conducted solely in Sweden. It did not include other countries, other ethnicities, or varying estrogen levels. And it did not account for heavy menstrual bleeding.
“That amount of blood loss was adopted into all of the medical training that we see today,” Venable explains. “These conversations are helping to change that dynamic and change the expectations around what a normal period is, because it varies greatly from person to person.”
Fear is another barrier. The Fibroid Foundation, which now has a reach spanning more than 180 countries, hears constantly from women who are afraid of treatment, afraid of surgery, and unsure where to begin. Venable advocates for what she calls shared decision making: arriving at your appointment with a written list of your top concerns and what would make you feel better, then working with your provider to build a care plan around your priorities. She recommends having that conversation while fully clothed, before putting on a hospital gown, because the setting matters for confidence.
If a provider tells you a hysterectomy is the only option, Venable says, “it’s time to find another provider.” She notes that a member of the foundation’s medical advisory board has removed 56 fibroids from a single patient while keeping her uterus intact.
Credit Imagine Photography. The Fibroid Foundation Summit 2026. L to R: Alyssa Schraub, Alexzandra S target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">FibroidFoundation.org/HMB for educational resources, including questions to bring to your provider, information about symptoms to watch for, and next steps for getting care.As Venable notes, “We all should have a good quality of life.”
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