Members of the FibroidsFree Initiative recently attended Celebrating 150 Years of The Physiological Society at the Terrace Pavilion, House of Commons, where the team presented its work on inequalities in uterine fibroid care to policymakers, researchers and healthcare stakeholders.
The event, held as part of celebrations marking The Physiological Society's 150th anniversary, brought together organisations from across the health and life sciences sectors to demonstrate how research can inform policy and improve healthcare outcomes.
The FibroidsFree Initiative was established to address longstanding inequalities in the screening, diagnosis and management of uterine fibroids. The initiative grew out of collaborative work by a team of early-career researchers at the University of Cambridge, alongside clinical colleagues, who identified significant gaps in awareness, diagnosis and access to treatment. These challenges disproportionately affect Black women, who are more likely to develop fibroids and experience more severe symptoms. The initiative aims to bring together researchers, clinicians, patients and policymakers to improve understanding of the condition and drive meaningful change in women's health.
Through a series of research, education and policy engagement activities over the past three years, the team has worked to improve awareness, diagnosis and access to care for those affected by fibroids. You can read more about the origins of the initiative and its work to tackle inequalities in uterine fibroid care in Giulia Avellino's article on the challenges facing women affected by uterine fibroids.
At the exhibition, the FibroidsFree team presented a poster highlighting the initiative's work and its progress to date. The team's work has identified several recurring challenges facing patients, including limited awareness of fibroids, delays in diagnosis, inequalities in access to treatment and the need for more culturally competent healthcare. These themes have emerged consistently through engagement with researchers, clinicians, patient advocates and policymakers.
The poster also showcased the initiative's broader impact, including parliamentary engagement through the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Black Health, collaboration with national organisations such as NICE, educational resource development for medical students and healthcare professionals, and international engagement with Congresswoman Yvette Clarke in Washington, DC.
For the team, the invitation to exhibit at Parliament represents an important opportunity to ensure that conversations around uterine fibroids and women's health inequalities continue to reach decision-makers. By bringing evidence, patient experiences and clinical perspectives into policy discussions, initiatives such as FibroidsFree can help identify practical routes towards improving care and outcomes.
As FibroidsFree continues to grow, the team hopes to build on this momentum through further research, educational initiatives and policy engagement activities, all with the shared goal of improving the lives of those affected by uterine fibroids.
Explore our Women’s Health & Femtech team
Discover more about our work supporting innovation across women's health and femtech.
