Objective: The aim of this study is to examine complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use among women with symptomatic uterine fibroids in the United States. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional analysis of baseline data from a multicenter, prospective cohort study of premenopausal women undergoing surgery for symptomatic fibroids and who enrolled in the Uterine Leiomyoma Treatment with Radiofrequency Ablation study from 2017 to 2019, we contrast women indicating use of at least one CAM modality specifically for fibroid symptoms against women using CAM for other reasons and CAM nonusers. Multivariable logistic regression models were performed to identify participant characteristics independently associated with CAM use for fibroids. Results: Among 204 women, 55% were Black/African American and the mean age was 42 (standard deviation 6.6) years. CAM use was common (67%), with 42% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 35%-49%) reporting use of CAM specifically to treat fibroid symptoms. Most commonly, CAM treatments used for fibroids were diet (62%) and herbs (52%), while CAM treatments for other reasons were exercise (80%) and massage (43%). On average, each participant who reported CAM use utilized three different types of CAM modalities. In a multivariable model, participants were more likely to use CAM for fibroids if they had pelvic pressure (odds ratio [OR] 2.50, 95% CI: 1.07-5.87, p = 0.04), a body-mass index lower than average (OR 0.76, 95% CI: 0.60-0.97, p = 0.03), and a lower health-related quality of life score (OR 0.61, 95% CI: 0.46-0.81, p = 0.001). Conclusions: In this diverse sample of women with symptomatic fibroids, CAM use was highly prevalent. Our findings highlight the need for providers to query patients about CAM use and understand the role of CAM in fibroid management. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02100904.
Keywords: complementary and alternative medicine; fibroid treatments; symptomatic fibroids; uterine leiomyoma.