Few studies examine how high-achieving Black women navigate chronic reproductive health morbidities. Black women are disproportionately more likely to experience uterine fibroids, with earlier onset and more severe symptoms. This study leverages a national mixed-methods data set of Black women academics to examine how they describe symptomatic fibroids impacting their careers and lives. We find that participants (1) actively coped by engaging in superwoman schema, (2) postponed treatment due to the demands of their tenure-track position, and (3) normalized pain. Our findings suggest a potentially high prevalence of uterine fibroids among Black women faculty, that symptomatic fibroids were an impediment to some women’s careers, and that women with symptomatic fibroids often identified expectations of their careers as an impediment to seeking timely treatment. We provide insights for how highly educated, successful Black women cope and navigate career stress coupled with challenges resulting from chronic reproductive health morbidities.

中文翻译：

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子宫保持分数：黑人女性学者的见解和应对子宫肌瘤


很少有研究探讨成就卓著的黑人女性如何应对慢性生殖健康疾病。黑人女性患子宫肌瘤的可能性更高，且发病更早，症状更严重。这项研究利用全国黑人女性学者的混合方法数据集来研究她们如何描述影响她们职业和生活的症状性子宫肌瘤。我们发现参与者（1）通过参与女超人模式积极应对，（2）由于终身职位的要求而推迟治疗，以及（3）疼痛正常化。我们的研究结果表明，黑人女性教师中子宫肌瘤的患病率可能很高，有症状的子宫肌瘤是一些女性职业生涯的障碍，并且患有有症状的子宫肌瘤的女性经常将对其职业的期望视为寻求及时治疗的障碍。我们提供有关受过高等教育的成功黑人女性如何应对和应对职业压力以及慢性生殖健康疾病带来的挑战的见解。