ArticleEnvironmental health perspectives2025
Hair Straightener Use in Relation to Prevalent and Incident Fibroids in the Sister Study with a Focus on Black Women.
Article in Environmental health perspectives, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 8 papers.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Who cites it
8 citing papers in PubMed.
- Use of Chemical Hair Straighteners and Menstrual Disturbances.Journal of women's health (2002) · 2026Article
- Chemicals of Concern in Chemical Hair Straightening Products: A Scoping Review.Current environmental health reports · 2026Article
- Use of chemical hair straighteners in relation to incidence and growth of uterine leiomyomata: a prospective ultrasound study.American journal of epidemiology · 2026Article
- Associations between self-reported personal care products use and menstrual cycle length and regularity in a US digital cohort.Environment international · 2026Article
- Occupational exposures among hairdressers and the occurrence of hormone-related conditions.Occupational and environmental medicine · 2026Article
- Use of hair straighteners and chemical relaxers and incidence of non-reproductive cancers.Journal of the National Cancer Institute · 2026Article
- A prospective study of hair dyes and uterine leiomyomata incidence in the study of environment, lifestyle, and fibroids.Fertility and sterility · 2026Article
- Invited Perspective: Critical Needs for Advancing Beauty Justice.Environmental health perspectives · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundUterine fibroids disproportionately affect Black women, and exposure to chemicals from hair relaxers or straighteners ("straighteners") may contribute to fibroid development.
objectivesWe examined the association between straightener use and prevalent young-onset uterine fibroids (diagnosed before age 36 y), as well as incident fibroids (diagnosed age 36-60 y), with a focus on Black women. We also examined differences in associations across birth cohorts as proxies for formulation changes.
methodsData from 4,162 Black women in the Sister Study, a prospective cohort of women 35-74 y of age (enrolled 2003-2009), were analyzed. We used logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for the association of straightener use at 10-13 y of age and self-reported young-onset fibroids. We used Cox regression to assess hazard ratios (HRs) for straightener use (age 10-13 y and in 12 months before enrollment) and incident fibroids among 779 premenopausal Black women. Similar analyses were conducted in 40,782 non-Hispanic White women.
resultsOver 70% of Black women used straighteners. In comparison with no use, any [ DISCUSSION: Hair straightener use may be positively associated with fibroid risk. https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP14493.
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