Lupita Nyong’o is speaking publicly for the first time about a health issue she’s carried privately for years. During Fibroid Awareness Month, the award-winning actor shared her experience with uterine fibroids — and announced two major initiatives to push for change.
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“I’m speaking up about uterine fibroids. This is my story,” she wrote.
Nyong’o was diagnosed with 30 fibroids in 2014 — the same year she won an Academy Award. She had surgery to remove them, but what stayed with her was what came after. “I asked my doctor if I could do anything to prevent them from recurring. She said: ‘You can’t. It’s only a matter of time until they grow again.’”
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Her post continues: “This Fibroid Awareness Month and beyond, I hope my experience will resonate with anyone else who has ever felt dismissed, confused or alone. And I hope to seek answers for the far too many women dealing with uterine fibroids (80% of Black women and 70% of white women by age 50!). We deserve better. It’s time to demand it. Silence serves no one!”
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths that can range from pea-sized to as large as a melon. They may cause heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, anaemia, and complications with pregnancy — but despite how widespread they are, the condition is still under-researched and under-discussed.
“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman,” she wrote.
Nyong’o explained how sharing her story privately led to a deeper realisation. “I started talking about my experience privately, and I realized so many women are going through this. We’re struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence!”
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Now she’s turning that momentum into action. “Today, I joined Congresswomen @repshontel, @repyvetteclarke, @repbonnie, @reprobinkelly and Senators @sen_alsobrooks and @senlbr in Washington DC to introduce a package of uterine fibroid Congressional bills. These bills would expand research funding, increase early detection and interventions for uterine fibroids, study the causes of uterine cancer, and increase public awareness.”
She also announced a research initiative close to her heart. “In partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health, I’m launching the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Research Grant. @foundationwomenshealth will seek research proposals to develop minimally invasive or non-invasive treatments for uterine fibroids to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for the 15 million patients suffering from this chronic condition in the U.S. alone.”
In a world where women’s health issues are still too often sidelined or shrugged off, Nyong’o is calling that out directly:
“We need to stop treating this massive issue like a series of unfortunate coincidences. We must reject the normalization of female pain. I envision a future with early education for teenagers, better screening protocols, robust prevention research, and less invasive treatments for uterine fibroids.”
Her final words are a call to action: “Let’s study women’s health and prioritize this chronic condition that has never been comprehensively examined. Read my post caption to learn more and get involved.”
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Feature Image: Getty
