**1. Introduction**

Uterine fibroids are the most common benign tumors in women of reproductive age. They are monoclonal tumors of the myometrium or uterine smooth muscle and are composed of large amounts of extracellular matrix, containing fibronectin, collagen and proteoglycans [1]. Myomas are estrogen dependent tumors, which growth is clearly associated with exposure to circulating estrogen. They predictably decrease in size during menopause and under other hypoestrogenic conditions [2].

Fibroid's prevalence is variable and age dependent. They can be detected in up to 70% of white and 80% of black women by 50 years of age [2, 3]. Compared with Caucasian women with symptomatic myomas, women of African descent frequently present to their provider at a younger age and with a significantly worse myoma burden (larger size and number) and have a threefold higher risk of hysterectomy [4].

Fibroids can have a negative impact on the reproductive system and can be single, but are more often multiple, causing significant morbidity and deterioration of quality of life [5].
