# Risk factors for and consequences of endometriosis among Black women

> **NIH NIH R21** · FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER · 2024 · $249,660

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
 Endometriosis is a common and debilitating gynecologic disorder characterized by the presence of
endometrial-like tissue outside of the uterus. It burdens approximately 10% of persons born with internal
reproductive organs in the U.S., and incurs significant health care costs and morbidity. Prior research suggests
that Black women are less likely to be diagnosed with endometriosis than White women; however, these
racial/ethnic differences in endometriosis diagnosis likely reflect disparities in access to care and clinical
presentation as opposed to biological differences in endometriosis incidence. To date, there has been almost no
research on risk factors for or consequences of endometriosis among Black women. This is a significant gap in
the literature as many established risk factors for endometriosis differ in their prevalence between Black and
White women (e.g., age at menarche, parity, body mass index). Further, endometriosis is associated with higher
risk of several diseases that disproportionately impact Black women (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus). In
recent work, patterns of the association between endometriosis and ovarian cancer risk differed between Black
and White women, as did modifiers of the endometriosis-ovarian cancer association. These differences highlight
the critical need for research into the impact of endometriosis on Black women across the life course. To address
these important knowledge gaps we will utilize the Black Women’s Health Study, a prospective cohort of Black
women followed to date for 27 years. This cohort represents a unique opportunity to evaluate the association
between endometriosis risk factors and comorbidities among 59,000 participants, among whom over 1,600
endometriosis cases have occurred. Here we propose to further our understanding of endometriosis among
Black women through the following specific aims:
 Aim 1. Determine whether existing risk factors that have been strongly and consistently associated with
endometriosis in studies of predominantly White populations (i.e., parity, age at menarche, menstrual cycle
length, body size, birth weight), are associated with endometriosis risk among Black women.
 Aim 2. Investigate the association between endometriosis and autoimmune diseases that have
previously been associated with endometriosis and have a higher prevalence in Black women, including
examining whether these associations vary by hysterectomy status.
 This proposed study is a unique opportunity for the first ever, large-scale prospective study on risk factors
and consequences of endometriosis among Black women. The epidemiologic methods needed to examine
endometriosis in a non-clinical setting are complex and the outcomes of this project will lay the groundwork for
a larger scale grant where more novel risk factors and endometriosis consequences can be examined allowing
for endometriosis research to expand beyond White populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10872650
- **Project number:** 1R21HD115018-01
- **Recipient organization:** FRED HUTCHINSON CANCER CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Holly Ruth Harris
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $249,660
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2024-07-23 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10872650

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10872650, Risk factors for and consequences of endometriosis among Black women (1R21HD115018-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10872650. Licensed CC0.

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