The Cost of Our Wellness…

According to a 2020 University of Michigan College of Medicine report, “Black women are hit hardest by fibroids, diagnosed roughly three times as frequently as white women and with more severe symptoms.” To understand racial disparities for people with with uterine fibroids is to understand that “nearly a quarter of Black women between 18 and 30 have fibroids compared to about 6% of white women, according to some national estimates.” By age 35, “that number increases to 60%. Black women are also two to three times more likely to have recurring fibroids or suffer from complications.” Consider the economic implications of these disparities for Black people with uteruses in the U.S. According to The National Women’s Law Center’s 2023 report on the social determinants of health metrics for Black Women; “nationally, nearly one in eight Black women (12.0%) ages 19 to 64 lacked health insurance coverage between 2017 and 2021.” Additionally, “More than one in six Black women (18.8%) ages 18 and over nationally lived in poverty in 2021 compared to 7.1% of white, non-Hispanic men and 8.9% of white, non-Hispanic women.” The cost of a Laparoscopic Myomectomy, the procedure which removes Uterine Fibroids ranges from a minimum of $3,000 to a little over $15,000. The statistics are disheartening, but the research is only scratching the surface of the issue and has really only just begun.

What are we called to do in this hour?

Below is a mini documentary featuring The Beauty of Our Wellness co-founders, fundraiser planning committee, and Uterine Fibroid patient. The women detail their investment in the medical industry, hopes for the future of the organization’s fundraising efforts, and their own experiences with seeking surgical solutions for their uterine fibroids.