The Link Between Fibroids And Hair relaxers, really??

A Ghanaian friend of mine was telling me about her family and mentioned that her older sister suffered from fibroids. Her sister was yet another African lady I had I heard of with the condition. I wondered why it is that women of African decent are 3times more likely to suffer with fibroids than women of other races. Whilst researching I stumbled upon the suggestion that the relaxers we use to straighten our hair could explain the higher incidence of fibroids amongst African women.
So for those of us that don't know what fibroids are let me get you up to speed. They are non-cancerous tumours that form from the muscle tissue in the uterus (womb). Symptoms include abnormal periods, pelvic pressure and fertility dysfunction. 

A fairly recent study in America investigated the possibility of the link between fibroids and hair relaxers. Why hair relaxers? Well fibroids are stimulated by the hormones oestrogen and progesterone and our hair relaxers contain phthalates that disrupts the balance of other hormones that interact with oestrogen.
The study was carried out with about 24,000 African American women, half of which used relaxers and half of which didn't. Their DNA was also collected to determine whether the women where from  more African ancestry or more European Ancestry. The study didn't take into account the brand of relaxer, whether it contained phthalate and if it did in what proportion.  

The results revealed  a small increase in the incidence of fibroids in the women who used relaxers more frequently, it also showed that women with more African ancestry where more likely to use relaxers and use them more frequently. So the resulting increase in fibroid occurrence shown might have nothing to do with the relaxer but everything to with ancestry. So just like the medical condition cystic fibrosis is more prevalent amongst people of caucasian ancestry  so also the more African ancestry a woman has the more likelihood of fibroid occurrence.

Also phthalates are not only found in relaxers but also in countless beauty and hair care products on the market that women of all races use.
So in my opinion there is no link whatsoever between relaxers and fibroids. There is however a link between lifestyle and fibroids. Obesity, diet low in fruit and vegetables and high in red meat, early onset of puberty and alcohol  can increase the risk of developing fibroids. You can reduce your risk of developing fibroids by exercising, maintaining a healthy weight, reducing your red meat 
intake and eating a diet rich in green vegetables. But sometimes even with a healthy lifestyle fibroids still occur, so I guess the journey for answers  continues.