Uterine fibroids affect 25 percent of women between ages 20 and 54. Heavy menstrual bleeding occurs as the leading symptom in most cases and contributes to an estimated 34 billion dollars in annual US economic burden when indirect costs are included. Treatment data show that roughly 70 percent of fibroid surgeries are hysterectomies while 23 percent of diagnosed patients undergo the procedure within one year.
Key Takeaways
- Uterine fibroids are associated with heavy menstrual bleeding in a majority of affected patients, with ACOG noting heavy menstrual bleeding as the most common symptom
- 25% of women age 20–54 have uterine fibroids based on 2003–2004 ultrasound estimates in NHANES
- Approximately 1 in 5 women (20%) will undergo a hysterectomy by age 60 in the United States
- A burden study found that women with fibroids experienced around 2.8 more physician visits per year than women without fibroids
- Estimated annual US healthcare costs attributable to uterine fibroids were about $5.9 billion in 2013 (direct medical costs)
- A separate cost-of-illness estimate for the US valued the total economic burden of fibroids at about $34 billion per year (including indirect costs) in 2016
- In a US claims study, 23% of commercially insured women with a fibroid diagnosis received a hysterectomy within 1 year of diagnosis
- In a retrospective US study, 14% of women undergoing surgical treatment for fibroids underwent myomectomy vs hysterectomy in the same dataset
- Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is used for symptomatic fibroids, with a Medicare analysis showing UAE accounts for about 2% of fibroid procedures
- In MRgFUS studies, non-perfused volume reduction is reported at about 60%–80% shortly after treatment, depending on protocol
- Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs can reduce uterine volume by about 50% prior to surgery in clinical trials
- GnRH analog therapy can increase hemoglobin by about 1 g/dL in patients with heavy menstrual bleeding and iron-deficiency anemia
- In patient-reported outcomes research, UFSS and related symptom measures show substantial improvement after hysterectomy and other effective therapies, reflecting QoL gains
- Heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids increases risk of reduced work productivity; studies quantify productivity loss using instruments like WPAI
- Uterine fibroids are associated with infertility in a subset of patients; one meta-analysis reports an odds ratio around 2 for fibroids in women with unexplained infertility
About 20% of women have uterine fibroids, often causing heavy bleeding and major healthcare and quality of life impacts.
Related reading
01 · Category
Epidemiology10 stats
01
Uterine fibroids are associated with heavy menstrual bleeding in a majority of affected patients, with ACOG noting heavy menstrual bleeding as the most common symptomhttps://www.acog.org/womens-health/faqs/uterine-fibroids
02
25% of women age 20–54 have uterine fibroids based on 2003–2004 ultrasound estimates in NHANEShttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24067789/
03
Approximately 1 in 5 women (20%) will undergo a hysterectomy by age 60 in the United Stateshttps://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr61/nvsr61_04.pdf
04
Approximately 60–80% of hysterectomies in the US are attributed to benign conditions, including uterine fibroidshttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2918969/
05
In the US, fibroids are responsible for 200,000–300,000 hysterectomies and 200,000–300,000 myomectomies annuallyhttps://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(19)30016-4/fulltext
06
The total prevalence of fibroids among women receiving care (radiology/clinical) is substantial, with ultrasound-based prevalence estimates ranging from 20% to 80% depending on age and detection methodhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279176/
07
Up to 75% of reproductive-age women with fibroids are asymptomatic at any given time, though they may develop symptoms laterhttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMcp1515822
08
Uterine fibroids affect about 30% of women during reproductive years according to systematic reviews summarized by the National Institutes of Healthhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3715953/
09
Fibroids can affect fertility, with studies and reviews estimating that 5%–10% of infertility cases are related to fibroidshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23262725/
10
The incidence of leiomyoma-related hospitalizations in the US was 36.3 per 10,000 women in 2012https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27943366/
Interpretation
Epidemiology Interpretation
From an epidemiology standpoint, uterine fibroids are common and clinically consequential, affecting about 25% of women ages 20 to 54 and driving roughly 200,000 to 300,000 hysterectomies and the same order of myomectomies in the US each year.
02 · Category
Economic Impact11 stats
01
A burden study found that women with fibroids experienced around 2.8 more physician visits per year than women without fibroidshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25271247/
02
Estimated annual US healthcare costs attributable to uterine fibroids were about $5.9 billion in 2013 (direct medical costs)https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25069585/
03
A separate cost-of-illness estimate for the US valued the total economic burden of fibroids at about $34 billion per year (including indirect costs) in 2016https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28346683/
04
In the US, the mean cost per hysterectomy admission for fibroids has been reported in the range of several thousand to over $10,000depending on setting and codinghttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22909318/
05
Fibroid-related anemia increases healthcare utilization; patients with heavy menstrual bleeding and anemia incur higher total medical costs than those without anemiahttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29095189/
06
In a US claims analysis, the mean monthly healthcare costs were higher in patients with symptomatic fibroids compared with matched controls by several hundred dollars per monthhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28840548/
07
Fibroids account for a meaningful share of inpatient and outpatient gynecologic procedures; estimates place the fraction of gynecologic surgical costs attributable to fibroids at several billions annuallyhttps://www.ajog.org/article/S0002-9378(16)30068-5/fulltext
08
Among insured US women, the average all-cause annual costs for those with fibroids were reported to be higher by thousands of dollars compared with matched women without fibroidshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29176932/
09
Indirect costs from work impairment in fibroid patients have been estimated in the billions of dollars per year in the UShttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25651164/
10
In a multinational study summarized by peer-reviewed sources, healthcare costs were higher for symptomatic fibroids than for asymptomatic cases, with differences on the order of hundreds to thousands of euros annuallyhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28536497/
11
Anemia-related costs attributable to heavy menstrual bleeding due to fibroids can add substantial expense to direct care; anemia increases costs and utilizationhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5481633/
Interpretation
Economic Impact Interpretation
From an economic impact standpoint, uterine fibroids drive substantial added healthcare use and spending, with women averaging about 2.8 more physician visits per year and US costs estimated at roughly $5.9 billion in 2013 and up to about $34 billion annually overall, far beyond what would be expected without the condition.
03 · Category
Treatment Patterns8 stats
01
In a US claims study, 23% of commercially insured women with a fibroid diagnosis received a hysterectomy within 1 year of diagnosishttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27712774/
02
In a retrospective US study, 14% of women undergoing surgical treatment for fibroids underwent myomectomy vs hysterectomy in the same datasethttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26375783/
03
Uterine artery embolization (UAE) is used for symptomatic fibroids, with a Medicare analysis showing UAE accounts for about 2% of fibroid procedureshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25048606/
04
In the US, the majority of surgical procedures for fibroids historically have been hysterectomies, representing roughly 70% of fibroid-related surgeries in claims analyseshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26659848/
05
In randomized trials of levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system (LNG-IUS), heavy menstrual bleeding reductions of about 80% have been reportedhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25277818/
06
In real-world US prescribing data, many patients receive GnRH analogs or antagonists as bridging therapy before surgery; usage varies by payor and time periodhttps://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8626423/
07
A systematic review reports that uterine fibroid embolization has higher long-term reintervention-free survival than myomectomy in some cohorts, with about 80%–90% avoiding repeat procedures over follow-uphttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27154006/
08
Clinical guidelines support medical therapy for symptom control; for example, tranexamic acid is recommended for heavy menstrual bleeding and can reduce menstrual blood loss by up to about 50%https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK279097/
Interpretation
Treatment Patterns Interpretation
Across treatment patterns for uterine fibroids, care still strongly favors hysterectomy, with about 23% of commercially insured patients getting it within a year of diagnosis and roughly 70% of historical surgical procedures being hysterectomies, while less common options like UAE account for only about 2% in Medicare data.
04 · Category
Clinical Outcomes11 stats
01
In MRgFUS studies, non-perfused volume reduction is reported at about 60%–80% shortly after treatment, depending on protocolhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25520962/
02
Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) analogs can reduce uterine volume by about 50% prior to surgery in clinical trialshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21680787/
03
GnRH analog therapy can increase hemoglobin by about 1 g/dL in patients with heavy menstrual bleeding and iron-deficiency anemiahttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20940146/
04
In the PEARL I and II studies of ulipristal acetate (where approved/used), a high proportion of patients achieved noninvasive complete response with PBAC reductions to ≤75https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25679114/
05
In randomized trials of tranexamic acid for heavy menstrual bleeding, menstrual blood loss can be reduced by approximately 40%–50% versus placebohttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12499629/
06
In trials of LNG-IUS for heavy menstrual bleeding, around 70%–90% of women report improved bleeding patterns by 6–12 monthshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23270153/
07
UAE yields significant fibroid volume reduction; systematic reviews report average volume reduction around 50% at 6 monthshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23180336/
08
After myomectomy, reintervention rates vary; a systematic review estimates about 10%–25% of women require further treatment within 5–10 yearshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25121331/
09
In GnRH antagonist trials for uterine fibroids (e.g., elagolix classes), heavy menstrual bleeding improvements are often reported as reductions in PBAC of several hundred points from baselinehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31677064/
10
In clinical practice guidance, fibroid-related symptoms often improve with effective therapy as measured by changes in standardized symptom questionnaires such as the Uterine Fibroid Symptom Severity (UFSS) scalehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25109953/
11
Uterine fibroid treatments that preserve the uterus (e.g., myomectomy, UAE, MRgFUS) generally maintain reproductive outcomes better than hysterectomy; reviews report successful pregnancies in a substantial minority of treated womenhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26493790/
Interpretation
Clinical Outcomes Interpretation
Across clinical outcomes, treatments for uterine fibroids and related heavy menstrual bleeding show meaningful and often rapid improvements, such as MRgFUS achieving about 60%–80% non perfused volume reduction shortly after treatment and LNG IUS producing improved bleeding patterns in roughly 70%–90% of women within 6 to 12 months.
05 · Category
Quality Of Life11 stats
01
In patient-reported outcomes research, UFSS and related symptom measures show substantial improvement after hysterectomy and other effective therapies, reflecting QoL gainshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18600742/
02
Heavy menstrual bleeding associated with uterine fibroids increases risk of reduced work productivity; studies quantify productivity loss using instruments like WPAIhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24157677/
03
Uterine fibroids are associated with infertility in a subset of patients; one meta-analysis reports an odds ratio around 2 for fibroids in women with unexplained infertilityhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23393962/
04
In longitudinal studies, symptom relief after treatment yields improvements in QoL measures that often exceed minimal clinically important differenceshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19014240/
05
In patient surveys, a majority of women with symptomatic fibroids report interference with daily activities due to heavy bleeding and painhttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23758558/
06
Anemia-related fatigue in women with fibroids has been associated with higher fatigue scores; studies report clinically meaningful fatigue impairment relative to baselinehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25311332/
07
Fibroid-related pain and pressure symptoms lead to measurable declines in mental and physical health domains on SF-36/SF-12 in multiple studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18407068/
08
Patients with symptomatic fibroids often report high levels of treatment burden; survey studies report multiple physician visits and ongoing medication usehttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22300410/
09
In health utility studies, symptomatic uterine fibroids are associated with reduced utility values (EQ-5D) compared with general population benchmarkshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25574511/
10
Quality-of-life deterioration is more pronounced in women with heavy menstrual bleeding than in those with asymptomatic or mild disease in cohort studieshttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23028542/
11
Patients receiving effective therapy report reduced anxiety and improved social functioning; studies quantify improvements on validated scales following treatmenthttps://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26378169/
Interpretation
Quality Of Life Interpretation
Across studies, women’s quality of life after effective uterine fibroid treatment tends to improve substantially, with symptom relief and fatigue reduction often described as clinically meaningful, while heavy bleeding and pain are consistently linked to major daily activity and work productivity losses.
06 · Category
Regulatory & Market7 stats
01
The FDA approved relugolix in combination regimens for uterine fibroids later in 2020/2021 approvals (and related labeling updates), expanding oral antagonist optionshttps://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/cder/daf/index.cfm?event=overview.process&ApplNo=215535
02
The global uterine fibroids therapeutics market was valued at $x billion in 2023 and projected to grow at a mid-to-high single digit CAGR in later years—see the referenced vendor market reporthttps://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/uterine-fibroid-market
03
A report estimates the global myomectomy market and related fibroid procedure markets are growing with expanding minimally invasive options such as UAE and MRgFUShttps://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/uterine-fibroids-treatment-market
04
CMS (US) coverage of MRgFUS and related interventional procedures varies by locality; billing and coverage determinations affect adoptionhttps://www.cms.gov/medicare-coverage-database/view/ncd.aspx?ncdid=332&ncdver=3
05
NICE guidance in the UK includes recommendations for managing heavy menstrual bleeding, which affects clinical adoption of medical therapies used in fibroidshttps://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng88
06
Professional guideline recommendations from organizations like ACOG and ESHRE influence practice patterns and uptake of uterine-sparing treatmentshttps://www.eshre.eu/Guidelines-and-Legal/ESHRE-Guidelines
07
A major industry shift has been toward oral medical therapies and uterine-sparing interventions; new oral GnRH antagonists increased treatment options in recent yearshttps://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1610189
Interpretation
Regulatory & Market Interpretation
Regulatory and reimbursement momentum is clearly shaping demand for uterine fibroid therapies, with FDA relugolix approvals in 2020 to 2021 and market projections showing a mid to high single digit CAGR in 2023, while uneven CMS and evolving UK NICE and major guideline updates help explain why adoption of different uterine-sparing and minimally invasive options varies by setting.
report visual · Breakdown
How common are uterine fibroids—and what do they lead to?
Uterine fibroids are relatively common, and they translate into meaningful health and healthcare impacts, including surgery rates and increased care utilization.
25%
25% of women age 20–54 have uterine fibroids based on 2003–2004 ultrasound estimates in NHANES
75%
Up to 75% of reproductive-age women with fibroids are asymptomatic at any given time, though they may develop symptoms l
source-verifiedpubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov · nejm.org2003
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Julian Richter. (2026, February 13). Uterine Fibroids Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uterine-fibroids-statistics
MLA
Julian Richter. "Uterine Fibroids Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/uterine-fibroids-statistics.
Chicago
Julian Richter. 2026. "Uterine Fibroids Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/uterine-fibroids-statistics.
Sources & references
58 datasets cited across this report
+46 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)