LUPITA NYONG’O ON UNDERGOING SURGERY TO REMOVE 30 UTERINE FIBROIDS

Academy Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o is breaking her silence about her personal struggle with uterine fibroids.

Taking to social media, Nyong’o revealed that shortly after winning her Oscar in 2014, she was diagnosed with 30 uterine fibroids, a non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. After undergoing surgery to remove them, she was told they would likely return. “I asked my doctor if there was anything I could do to prevent them from recurring,” Nyong’o shared. “She said, ‘You can’t. It’s only a matter of time until they grow again.’”

Uterine fibroids can range in size from a pea to a melon, causing symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding, anemia, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and pregnancy complications. Though some women experience no symptoms at all. Shockingly, 8 out of 10 Black women and 7 out of 10 white women will develop fibroids, yet the condition is rarely discussed openly.

“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain and that pain is simply part of being a woman,” Nyong’o said. “But we must reject the normalisation of female pain.”

After privately sharing her experience, Nyong’o realised many women suffer in silence. “We are struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence. We need to stop treating this massive issue like a series of unfortunate coincidences.”

The actress envisions a future with, “Early education for teenagers, better screening protocols, robust prevention, research and less invasive treatment for uterine fibroids. Let’s study women’s health and prioritise their chronic conditions that have never been comprehensively examined.”

Adding, “This Fibroid Awareness Month and beyond, I hope my experience resonates with anyone who has ever felt dismissed, confused, or alone,” she said. “We deserve better. It’s time to demand it. Silence serves no one.”