Most American women develop at least one uterine fibroid — a non-cancerous uterine tumor — by the age of menopause. Fibroids may cause pain, infertility, miscarriage and preterm labor. Treatment and lost time at work add up to $34 billion in annual costs.
Genome wide association studies (GWAS) have identified some genetic regions associated with increased risk for fibroids. , PhD, and colleagues have now conducted the first GWAS to search for genetic loci associated with differences in fibroid size and number.