Can Lowering Your Blood Pressure Prevent Uterine Fibroids? Doctors Cast Doubt on New Study

Uterine fibroids are one of the most common reproductive issues that women face. About 70% of women will experience them by the age of 50. Unfortunately, fibroids aren’t something you can prevent.

That’s why a new study suggesting a harbinger of fibroids—high blood pressure—seems so promising. The results of the Study of Women’s Health Across the Nation (SWAN) suggest that hypertension and fibroids are linked and that anti-hypertension medications like ACE inhibitors can lower the risk of developing them.

That’s a huge win, right?

It’s not that simple, according to Mary Branch, MD, a cardiologist at Cone Health who was not involved with the study. In this situation, the study’s effectiveness results seem to be limited by its exclusions. Since Black women are more prone to develop fibroids earlier in life, they were more likely to be excluded from the study because of prior fibroids, representing only 25% of study participants.

“Overall, there’s not much to glean from the study,” Branch says. “It’s important to have controlled blood pressure, but whether it leads to fibroids, we can’t say with much certainty.”

Branch says that hypertension can lead to a number of known conditions, such as heart failure, stroke, and kidney disease.

What Are Some Risk Factors for Fibroids?

So the question remains: Are fibroids related to other conditions, even if hypertension isn’t one of them? According to Hugh Taylor, MD, professor of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at Yale School of Medicine, the most significant risk factors for fibroids are race, age, and family history.

“Black women are much more likely to get fibroids, and when they get them, they tend to be larger, more aggressive, and symptomatic,” Taylor told Verywell.

Age is another risk factor. Fibroids become more common in a person’s 40s. Taylor notes that 70% of women will have a fibroid at some point in their lives, but only 25% will experience symptoms. Fibroids typically resolve with the onset of menopause as estrogen and progesterone production wanes.

Uterine fibroids can be hereditary, with gene mutations MED12, HMGA1, and HMGA2 causing many cases. With the onset of puberty and the surge in hormone flows, fibroids can grow more quickly in some people, leading to heavy bleeding, cramping, and pressure on other organs, such as the bladder. Taylor says that since fibroids may be common in Black families, it’s often dismissed.

“Many women say, ‘Everybody in our family has heavy periods; it’s not a real medical problem to be addressed,’ but these days we have so many ways to treat fibroids,” Taylor said.

New Treatments Can Eliminate Symptoms

Taylor says that research shows that there may be some ways to lessen the effects of uterine fibroids. A 2019 study showed that supplemental vitamin D reduced the size of fibroids in women who had a significant vitamin D deficiency. The study noted that vitamin D deficiency is 10 times more prevalent in Black women than in other populations.

“Black skin makes it harder to get the sunlight that drives vitamin D production, so supplementation may be necessary,” Taylor said.

For people with a family history of fibroids, Taylor recommends seeking an ultrasound to detect them earlier. With earlier detection, the symptoms may be addressed earlier, better preserving quality of life.

Anti-inflammatories, such as green tea, may also offer some relief. A 2023 study showed that drinking green tea could alleviate fibroid symptoms, as well as improve symptoms of endometriosis.

While vitamin D and green tea may help reduce the symptoms of uterine fibroids, Taylor said that there are many new options for treatment that will eliminate symptoms completely, including non-surgical solutions.

“A hysterectomy should be the last resort, especially if someone is considering having more children,” Taylor said. “In the old days, a hysterectomy was always the answer for fibroids, and that’s just not the case anymore. If your doctor tells you that, find another doctor.”

Taylor said that there are several new, effective strategies for treating fibroids, including:

• MRI-guided focused ultrasound beams to destroy them
• Uterine artery embolization, in which the blood supply is cut off, stopping growth
• Laparoscopic surgery using radio-frequency to destroy it within the body
• GNRH antagonist drugs such as Oriahnn and Myfembree, which stop the growth and control bleeding