II 

109TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1289 

To provide for research and education with respect to uterine fibroids, and 

for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JUNE 22, 2005 

Ms. MIKULSKI (for herself, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. KENNEDY, Mrs. MURRAY, 

Mrs. BOXER, Ms. CANTWELL, and Mr. SARBANES) introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on 

Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions 

A BILL 

To provide for research and education with respect to uterine 

fibroids, and for other purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Uterine Fibroid Re5 search and Education Act of 2005’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds as follows: 

8 (1) The development of uterine fibroids is a 

9 common and significant health problem, affecting 
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1 women, primarily of reproductive age, across all 

2 ages, racial backgrounds, and socioeconomic levels. 

3 (2) It is estimated that between 20 and 30 per4 cent of women of reproductive age have clinically 

5 recognized uterine fibroids, and screening studies in6 dicate the prevalence of uterine fibroids in women 

7 may be much higher. 

8 (3) Minority women are more likely to develop 

9 uterine fibroids, and through ultrasound screening of 

10 African American and Caucasian women for fibroids, 

11 it is estimated that more than 80 percent of African 

12 Americans and about 70 percent of Caucasians de13 velop fibroids by the time they reach menopause and 

14 the tumors develop at younger ages in African 

15 Americans. 

16 (4) Symptomatic uterine fibroids can cause 

17 heavy bleeding, pain, and reproductive problems, in18 cluding infertility. There is no known cause of uter19 ine fibroids. 

20 (5) The presence of uterine fibroids is the most 

21 common reason for hysterectomies, accounting for 

22 approximately one-third of hysterectomies, or 

23 200,000 procedures annually and 22 percent of Afri24 can American women and 7 percent of Caucasians 

25 have hysterectomies for fibroids. 
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1 (6) Over five billion dollars are spent annually 

2 on hysterectomies, at approximately $6,000 for each 

3 surgery. 

4 (7) The Evidence Report and Summary on the 

5 Management of Uterine Fibroids, as compiled by the 

6 Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality of the 

7 Department of Health and Human Services, held 

8 that there is a ‘‘remarkable lack of high quality evi9 dence supporting the effectiveness of most interven10 tions for symptomatic fibroids’’. 

11 (8) Current research and available data do not 

12 provide adequate information on the rates of preva13 lence and incidents of fibroids in Asian, Hispanic, 

14 and other minority women, the costs associated with 

15 treating fibroids, and the methods by which fibroids 

16 may be prevented in these women. 

17 SEC. 3. RESEARCH WITH RESPECT TO UTERINE FIBROIDS. 

18 (a) RESEARCH.—The Director of the National Insti19 tutes of Health (in this section referred to as the ‘‘Direc20 tor of NIH’’) shall expand, intensify, and coordinate pro21 grams for the conduct and support of research with re22 spect to uterine fibroids. 

23 (b) ADMINISTRATION.—The Director of NIH shall 

24 carry out this section through the appropriate institutes, 

25 offices, and centers of the National Institutes of Health, 
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1 including the National Institute of Child Health and 

2 Human Development, the National Institute of Environ3 mental Health Sciences, the Office of Research on Wom4 en’s Health, and the National Center on Minority Health 

5 and Health Disparities. 

6 (c) COORDINATION OF ACTIVITIES.—The Office of 

7 Research on Women’s Health shall coordinate activities 

8 under subsection (b) among the institutes, offices, and 

9 centers of the National Institutes of Health. 

10 (d) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

11 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

12 to be appropriated $30,000,000 for each of the fiscal years 

13 2006 through 2010. 

14 SEC. 4. EDUCATION AND DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION 

15 WITH RESPECT TO UTERINE FIBROIDS. 

16 (a) UTERINE FIBROIDS PUBLIC EDUCATION PRO17 GRAM.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services, 

18 acting through the Director of the Centers for Disease 

19 Control and Prevention, shall develop and disseminate to 

20 the public information regarding uterine fibroids, includ21 ing information on— 

22 (1) the incidence and prevalence of uterine 

23 fibroids among women; 

24 (2) the elevated risk for minority women to de25 velop uterine fibroids; and 
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1 (3) the availability, as medically appropriate, of 

2 a range of treatment options for symptomatic uter3 ine fibroids. 

4 (b) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec5 retary may disseminate information under subsection (a) 

6 directly or through arrangements with nonprofit organiza7 tions, consumer groups, institutions of higher education, 

8 Federal, State, or local agencies, or the media. 

9 (c) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

10 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

11 to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for 

12 each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010. 

13 SEC. 5. INFORMATION TO HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS WITH 

14 RESPECT TO UTERINE FIBROIDS. 

15 (a) DISSEMINATION OF INFORMATION.—The Sec16 retary of Health and Human Services, acting through the 

17 Administrator of the Health Resources and Services Ad18 ministration, shall develop and disseminate to health care 

19 providers information on uterine fibroids for the purpose 

20 of ensuring that health care providers remain informed 

21 about current information on uterine fibroids. Such infor22 mation shall include the elevated risk for minority women 

23 to develop uterine fibroids and the range of available op24 tions for the treatment of symptomatic uterine fibroids. 
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1 (b) AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.—For the 

2 purpose of carrying out this section, there are authorized 

3 to be appropriated such sums as may be necessary for 

4 each of the fiscal years 2006 through 2010. 

5 SEC. 6. DEFINITION. 

6 In this Act, the term ‘‘minority women’’ means 

7 women who are members of a racial and ethnic minority 

8 group, as defined in section 1707(g) of the Public Health 

9 Service Act (42 U.S.C. 300u–6(g)). 

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