U.S. Rep. Lauren Underwood is undergoing surgery Thursday in Chicago to remove uterine fibroids, the second-term Democratic congresswoman’s office said.
Underwood, 35, of Naperville, who represents the state’s west and northwest suburban and exurban 14th Congressional District, will recover in Illinois “over the coming weeks” following surgery at the University of Chicago Medical Center, her office said.
US Rep. Lauren Underwood, D-14, at the Illinois Democratic County Chair's Association brunch before Governor's Day at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2021. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)
According to the Mayo Clinic website, uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that often appear during childbearing years. “Uterine fibroids aren’t associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer and almost never develop into cancer,” according to the website.
Many women have uterine fibroids at some time during their lives, Mayo said, but don’t know it because they often cause no symptoms. Doctors may discover fibroids incidentally during a pelvic exam or prenatal ultrasound.
Underwood, who is up for reelection next year, defeated former state Sen. Jim Oberweis by 5,374 votes in last year’s election. She won her first term in Congress in 2018 by defeating four-term Republican U.S. Rep. Randy Hultgren of Plano by 14,871 votes.
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Underwood worked as a registered nurse prior to embarking on a career in government health care services, including time as a senior adviser in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in former President Barack Obama’s administration, working on the Affordable Care Act.
In her office’s statement, Underwood said she was “grateful” to her team of health care professionals and “looks forward to traveling throughout the 14th District and returning to the House of Representatives soon.”
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