Child/Teen Sexual and Physical Abuse Linked to Fibroids

Child/Teen Sexual and Physical Abuse Linked to Fibroids in Premenopausal Women ScienceDaily (Dec. 17, 2010) — Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) have found that both physical and sexual abuse history were positively associated with a higher incidence of uterine fibroids later in life. These findings currently appear on-line in the journal Epidemiology....A growing body of evidence indicates an association between early life social adversities and adult health. Physical, sexual and emotional abuse in childhood has been associated with increased mortality and morbidity in adulthood, and poor health behaviors.

Participants in this study included 68,505 premenopausal US nurses, enrolled in the Nurses' Health Study II. Sixty-five percent of these women reported physical or sexual abuse as a child or teen.
The researchers discovered 9,823 incident diagnoses of ultrasound- or hysterectomy confirmed uterine leiomyomas. A dose-response association between cumulative abuse and fibroid risk was found. Risk for fibroids increased from eight to 36 percent among those with the mildest to most severe cumulative abuse in childhood....Boynton-Jarrett, Renée; Rich-Edwards, Janet W.; Jun, Hee-Jin; Hibert, Eileen N.; Wright, Rosalind J. Abuse in Childhood and Risk of Uterine Leiomyoma: The Role of Emotional Support in Biologic Resilience. Epidemiology, 9 November 2010 DOI: 10.1097/EDE.0b013e3181ffb172
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101115111011.htm