Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 13, 2026
A Coregistered Ultrasound and Photoacoustic Imaging Protocol for the Transvaginal Imaging of Ovarian Lesions
Published on: March 3, 2023
Racial differences in fibroid prevalence and ultrasound findings in asymptomatic young women (18-30 years old): a
Erica E Marsh1, Geraldine E Ekpo, Eden R Cardozo
1Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois 60611, USA. erica-marsh@northwestern.edu
Objective:
1) To determine the prevalence of fibroids in asymptomatic young black and white women (ages 18-30 y); 2) to determine other differences in uterine and adnexal anatomy; and 3) to obtain preliminary data for sample size calculations.
Design:
Pilot cross-sectional study.
Setting:
Academic medical center.
Patient(S):
One hundred one nonparous black and white women, ages 18-30 years, with no known diagnosis of fibroids or clinically suggestive symptoms.
Intervention(S):
A transvaginal ultrasound was performed in the follicular phase in all subjects.
Main Outcome Measure(S):
1) Presence of fibroids; 2) endometrial thickness; 3) ovarian findings.
Result(S):
Of the 101 participants (mean age 24.5 ± 3.5 y), 43% self-identified as black and 57% as white. The prevalence of ultrasound-diagnosed fibroids was 15% overall (26% in black women and 7% in white women). The mean fibroid size was 2.3 ± 2.1 cm. There was a significant difference in endometrial thickness between races, even after adjusting for contraception use and fibroid presence.
Conclusion(S):
Racial differences in fibroid prevalence exist even before women become symptomatic. Findings of thicker endometrium in black women could have clinical implications and warrants further investigation.
