Oscar-Winning Actress Reveals Decade-Long Health Battle—and Calls For Change
“No more suffering in silence!”
Christopher Polk/Variety via Getty Images
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Oscar-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o opened up to fans in an Instagram post on July 15 about her painful history with uterine fibroids.
The 42-year-old actress revealed that she’s had 30 fibroids removed during surgeries since being diagnosed with the condition in 2014, the same year she won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role in 12 Years a Slave.
According to MedlinePlus, uterine fibroids are common, typically non-cancerous tumors (that vary in size) that grow inside a woman’s uterus. They affect up to half of all women by age 50, and are particularly common amongst Black women—8 in 10 Black women will develop the condition by that age. Symptoms associated with fibroids include heavy bleeding during periods, bleeding in-between periods, pelvic cramping and pain during sexual intercourse.
In her post, Nyong’o recalled searching for solutions to prevent recurring fibroids, but being told by her doctor, “it’s only a matter of time until they grow again.”
The Black Panther star’s revelation comes alongside the announcement of her partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health, a non-profit grant-making organization, to launch a research grant into fibroids, seeking to “develop invasive or noninvasive treatments for uterine fibroids”.
Nyong’o has also teamed up with a group of Black women in Congress—Representatives Shontel Brown, Yvette D. Clarke, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robin Kelly, and Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester—in an effort to introduce a package of congressional bills that would “expand research funding, increase early detection, and interventions for uterine fibroids.” A bicameral bill, The U-FIGHT Act, was re-introduced on July 15 and awaits further action.
Nyong’o’s message is clear: committing to working towards a future where women’s pain is taken seriously—and treated. “We must reject the normalization of female pain,” she wrote, encouraging the public to study and “prioritize this chronic condition.”
Lupita Nyong'o shared a photo of her with text on her Instagram.
Lupita Nyongo/Instagram
Social media users flooded the comments on Nyong’o’s post with an outpouring of support, echoing her call for more awareness and action. “Reproductive justice is power 🙏🏽,” one commenter wrote. Another added, “WOW. I had NO CLUE this many women struggled with fibroids! This is NOT normal!!” Fellow actress Jessica Alba chimed in, “You are so brave for sharing—we need more funding for women’s health.”