Lupita Nyong’o, the Kenyan-Mexican actress, has opened up about her battle with uterine fibroids.
Uterine fibroids are growths made of muscle and tissue that form in or on the wall of your uterus. These growths are usually benign and are the most common noncancerous tumor in females.
They can cause a variety of symptoms like heavy menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, anemia and pregnancy complications.
In a recent Instagram post, the 42-year-old award-winning actress revealed that she was diagnosed with the condition in 2014 — the same year she won an Oscar for her role in ’12 Years a Slave’.
“In March 2014, I won an Academy award. That same year I discovered I had uterine fibroids. 30 fibroids, I had surgery to remove them. I asked my doctor if I could do anything to prevent them from recurring,” she wrote.
“She said ‘you can’t. It’s only a matter of time until they grow again. Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. They can range from the size of a pea to as large as a melon.
“They can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and anemia, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and complications with pregnancy. Some have no symptoms at all, while others experience debilitating effects.”
Lupita also emphasised how common uterine fibroids are affecting “80% of Black women and 70% of white women by age 50” yet the condition remains under-discussed.
“8 out of 10 of Black women and 7 out of 10 white women will experience fibroids. Yet we speak so little of them,” she added.
