Disparities and Patterns of Pain Management, Pharmacologic Therapies, and Surgical Treatments for Leiomyomas in the 2017–2019 National Survey of Family Growth [ID: 1380252

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Leiomyomas affect most women throughout their lifetime with an incidence of roughly 80%. Approximately 30% of these women develop symptomology that warrants intervention. With such a large prevalence, it is important to highlight patterns in treatment modalities to guide effective management for all women with this condition. METHODS: We utilized weighted survey results from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2017–2019 National Survey of Family Growth. After isolating data to those who reported a leiomyoma diagnosis, we performed a test of equal proportions (P<.05) among the nine listed therapies compared to the following socioeconomic factors: race, age, education, and insurance status. RESULTS: The incidence of leiomyomas was 7.3% (449/6,141). Hispanic women and those with state-sponsored or uninsured status were more likely to report receiving none of the listed treatments (P=.05 and .02). Women who marked “Other” were most likely to seek alternative medicine (P=.03). Hysterectomy was most likely for Black, White, and 40- to 49-year-old women (P=.02 and P<.001). Nonhysterectomy procedures were most seen with government-sponsored health care, private insurance, and women with graduate degrees (P<.001 and P=.02). Pharmacologically, White women were more likely to receive progesterone-releasing intrauterine devices (P=.02), women 19–29 were more likely to use hormonal medicine (P<.001), and those with government insurance were more likely to receive narcotics (P=.006). CONCLUSION: All socioeconomic factors held significant inconsistencies in the utilization of various leiomyoma treatments. As this condition will affect most women, this analysis highlights the need for future standardization to ensure optimal treatment implementation and patient outcomes.