Table 2.
Fibroid and Symptom Characteristics for Participants in Fibroid Growth Study, Enrollment 2001–2004a
| Characteristic | Total (n = 116) n (%) | Blacks (n = 57) n (%) | Whites (n = 48) n (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Time since initial diagnosis of fibroids (years) | |||
| <1 | 33 (29) | 14 (25) | 17 (37) |
| 1–2 | 26 (23) | 14 (25) | 9 (20) |
| 3–5 | 19 (17) | 9 (16) | 8 (17) |
| 5–9 | 19 (17) | 11 (20) | 7 (15) |
| 10+ | 15 (13) | 8 (14) | 5 (11) |
| Missing | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| p = 0.21b | |||
| Uterine volume (cm3)c | |||
| <100 | 9 (8) | 3 (5) | 6 (12) |
| 100–249 | 47 (41) | 24 () | 19 (40) |
| 250–499 | 23 (20) | 12 (21) | 9 (19) |
| 500–999 | 23 (20) | 11 (19) | 8 (17) |
| 1000+ | 14 (12) | 7 (12) | 6 (12) |
| p = 0.31 | |||
| Number of fibroidsd | |||
| 1 | 9 (8) | 2 (4) | 5 (10) |
| 2 | 14 (12) | 6 (11) | 8 (17) |
| 3–5 | 23 (20) | 11 (19) | 10 (21) |
| 6–10 | 35 (30) | 19 (33) | 12 (25) |
| >10 | 35 (30) | 19 (33) | 13 (27) |
| p = 0.04 | |||
| General health | |||
| Excellent to very good | 62 (54) | 28 (49) | 27 (56) |
| Good | 43 (38) | 22 (39) | 19 (40) |
| Fair | 9 (8) | 6 (11) | 2 (4) |
| Poor | 1 (1) | 1 (2) | 0 (0) |
| Missing | 1 | ||
| p = 0.44 | |||
| Hormone use | |||
| None | 86 (74) | 51 (75) | 35 (73) |
| Oral contraceptives for contraception | 11 (9) | 7 (10) | 4 (8) |
| Oral contraceptives for irregular period or symptoms | 13 (11) | 5 (7) | 8 (17) |
| Other hormone | 5 (4) | 4 (7) | 1 (2) |
| Missing | 1 | ||
| p = 0.30 | |||
| Tolerance of current symptoms | |||
| Satisfied | 48 (42) | 19 (33) | 23 (48) |
| Mixed feelings | 31 (27) | 18 (32) | 11 (23) |
| Dissatisfied | 19 (17) | 10 (18) | 8 (17) |
| Very dissatisfied | 17 (15) | 10 (18) | 6 (12) |
| Missing | 1 | ||
| p = 0.19 | |||
| Stress scale | |||
| Mean | 32.2 | 36.0 | 29.1 |
| SD | 17.6 | 20.1 | 13.8 |
| Range | 0–75 | 0–75 | 4.2–66.7 |
| Missing | 2 | 1 | |
| p = 0.11 | |||
| Pain scale | |||
| Mean | 31.9 | 33.6 | 30.0 |
| SD | 25.1 | 24.2 | 25.0 |
| Range | 0–100 | 0–83 | 0–88 |
| Missing | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| p = 0.50 | |||
| Bleeding-problem scale | |||
| Mean | 32.9 | 37.5 | 27.3 |
| SD | 30.4 | 31.4 | 28.1 |
| Range | 0–100 | 0–100 | 0–89 |
| Missing | 2 | 1 | |
| p = 0.08 | |||
| Amount-of-bleeding scale | |||
| Mean | 18.4 | 17.9 | 18.5 |
| SD | 14.8 | 13.8 | 15.9 |
| Range | 0–56 | 0–56 | 0–51 |
| Missing | 3 | 1 | 1 |
| p = 0.94 | |||
| Treatment | |||
| None | 68 (59) | 32 (56) | 29 (60) |
| GnRH agonist in preparation for surgery | 7 | 2 | 3 |
| Hysteroscopic resection | 4 | 1 | 3 |
| Embolization | 2 | 1 | 1 |
| Myomectomy | 20 | 12 | 7 |
| Hysterectomy | 15 | 9 | 5 |
| Missing | 0 | ||
| p = 0.58 |
Total sample includes 11 participants in the Other category for ethnicity.
p values are based on comparing the entire distribution of the variables in African Americans and whites using the nonparametric Wilcoxon rank sum test, except for the hormone use and treatment variables, which were tested with the chi-square test.
Uterine volume was calculated from ultrasound data on uterine length, width, and AP diameter using the ellipsoid formula (0.52 × L × W × AP); when ultrasound uterine diameters were not available, the uterine volume was determined based on the pelvic examination estimated weeks of gestation.
Number of fibroids was assessed by counting fibroids observable on the first visit MRI. In the few cases when first visit MRI were of poor quality because the patient moved, the count was made on the second visit MRI.