Keloids and ultrasound detected fibroids in young African American women.

Objective: Keloids and fibroids share a number of biologic and demographic similarities however there are no published reports of the association between them. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between self-reported keloids and ultrasound detected fibroids in a population of young African American women.

Study Design: The Study of Environment, Life-style & Fibroids (SELF), is a volunteer cohort of over 1600 African American women aged 23-34 years recruited in Detroit, Michigan.

Genome-wide analysis of loss of heterozygosity and copy number amplification in uterine leiomyomas using the 100K single nucleotide polymorphism array.

Purpose: Uterine leiomyomas (fibroids) are benign smooth muscle tumors commonly found among reproductive-aged women. Though benign, these tumors are the leading indication for hysterectomies in the United States and cause significant morbidity. Despite the importance of this tumor in women's health, relatively little is known about the molecular etiology.

Postpartum factors and natural fibroid regression.

Objective: Many fibroids regress with pregnancy or postpartum involution. We sought to identify factors that might inhibit or enhance this natural regression.

Study Design: We used a prospective cohort of women with fibroids (n = 494) determined by ultrasound screening during the early first trimester identified from the Right from the Start study.

Challenges in the gynecologic care of premenopausal women with breast cancer.

Premenopausal women with a new diagnosis of breast cancer are faced with many challenges. Providing health care for issues such as gynecologic comorbidities, reproductive health concerns, and vasomotor symptom control can be complicated because of the risks of hormone treatments and the adverse effects of adjuvant therapies. It is paramount that health care professionals understand and be knowledgeable about hormonal and nonhormonal treatments and their pharmacological parameters so they can offer appropriate care to women who have breast cancer, with the goal of improving quality of life.

Short-term change in growth of uterine leiomyoma: tumor growth spurts.

Objective: To describe the short-term changes in growth of uterine leiomyomas (fibroids).

Design: Prospective observational study.

Setting: University research center.

Pregnancy-related fibroid reduction.

We tested the hypothesis that the protective effect of parity on fibroids is due to direct pregnancy-related effects by following women from early pregnancy to postpartum period with ultrasound. Of 171 women with one initial fibroid, 36% had no identifiable fibroid at the time of postpartum ultrasound, and 79% of the remaining fibroids decreased in size.

New directions in the epidemiology of uterine fibroids.

Although uterine leiomyomata (fibroids) have been the leading indication for hysterectomy in the United States for decades, the epidemiological data on fibroid prevalence and risk factors are limited. Given the hormonal dependence of fibroids, most earlier studies focused on reproductive or hormonal factors. Recent analyses have extended that focus to other areas.

Prevalence of uterine leiomyomas in the first trimester of pregnancy: an ultrasound-screening study.

Objective: To estimate the proportion of pregnant women with one or more leiomyomas detected by research-quality ultrasound screening in the first trimester, to describe the size and location of leiomyomas identified, and to report variation in prevalence by race/ethnicity.

Methods: Within an ongoing prospective cohort, we conducted 4,271 first-trimester or postmiscarriage ultrasound examinations. Sonographers measured each leiomyoma three separate times, recording the maximum diameter in three perpendicular planes each time.

Growth of uterine leiomyomata among premenopausal black and white women.

Uterine leiomyomata (fibroids) are the leading cause of hysterectomy in the United States. Black women have a greater fibroid burden than whites, yet no study has systematically evaluated the growth of fibroids in blacks and whites. We prospectively tracked growth for 262 fibroids (size range: 1-13 cm in diameter) from 72 premenopausal participants (38 blacks and 34 whites).

Prolactin levels in Western Lowland gorillas.

Hyperprolactinemia is known to cause menstrual irregularity and infertility in humans. However, little is known about the role of prolactin in menstruation and fertility in Western Lowland gorillas. To create a database of prolactin values in gorillas, we have performed immunoassays on serum specimens dating back to 1983 from nine female gorillas at the Brookfield Zoo.