By Lionel Donovan

July 15, 2025

Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) hopes this bill, if passed, brings the country one step closer to proper treatment.

MARYLAND, USA — Sen. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD) joined lawmakers and advocates just outside the Capitol on Tuesday to announce new legislation that could address an issue many struggle with across the country: uterine fibroids.

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in or on the muscular wall of a woman’s uterus.

If passed, the Uterine Fibroid Intervention and Gynecological Health Treatment Act, or U-FIGHT Act, would increase funding for early detection and treatment for the fibroids.

Alsobrooks is currently co-sponsoring the bill alongside Rep. Shontel Brown (D-OH). She also said she plans on putting this bill on the Senate floor this week and is reaching across the aisle to find Republican co-sponsors.

Tanika Gray Valbrun, founder of the advocacy group White Dress Project, joined lawmakers at the Capitol to share her years long struggle with uterine fibroids, which included the removal of 43 fibroids, before giving birth to her son. She said this kind of legislation is critical, especially for Black women, whom studies show are three times more likely to experience fibroids compared to white women. They also develop them earlier in life, and experience more severe symptoms.

“The reintroduction of these critical bills is much more than legislation,” Valbrun said. “It is a declaration that our health matters, our voices matter, and our lives matter.”

Dr. Randy Lizardo of Capital Women’s Care echoed Valbrun’s sentiments, and revealed a sobering trend that highlights the prevalence of fibroids in the Black community.

“Studies show 80% of Black women will suffer from fibroids at some point by the time they’re 50,” Lizardo said.

Dr. Lizardo said early detection is critical, but unfortunately, leaving fibroids untreated is common.

“An older school of thought was if they’re not causing symptoms, a lot of people just left them alone,” Lizardo revealed. “After years and decades of that school of thought, I’m now seeing patients with fibroids that’re so advanced, they’re being told their only option is a hysterectomy.”

The legislation also authorizes funding for state programs and expands data collection to expand research, which Alsobrooks said helps prioritize an issue that affects so many. 

“In spite of the fact that we represent 80% of women who suffer a serious health crisis…0.03% of all research dollars in our country are spent researching fibroids, an epidemic among women,” the senator said. “So we are here today because we have to be.”