Oscar Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has opened up about her struggles with uterine fibroids, non-cancerous growths that can develop in the uterus during a woman's childbearing years.
Fibroids vary in size and can cause heavy menstrual bleeding, prolonged periods and pain. They can be removed but are most likely to grow back.
Nyong’o took to Instagram to share her story.
“In March 2014 I won an Academy Award. That same year I discovered I had uterine fibroids,” she said.
“Thirty fibroids. I had surgery to remove them. I asked my doctor if I could do anything to prevent them recurring. She said, 'You can't. It's only a matter of time until they grow again'.”
The 42-year-old rose to fame with her role as Patsey in the 2013 film 12 Years a Slave, which earned her several awards including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2014, making her the first Kenyan actress to win an Oscar.
She has made a name for herself in Hollywood while advocating for social justice.
She said more conversations about the issue should be had, adding she was not aware many women suffer in silence.
“Eight out of 10 black women and seven out of 10 white women will experience fibroids, yet we speak so little of them.
“When we reach puberty we're taught that periods mean pain and pain is part of being a woman. I started talking about my experience privately and I realised many women are going through this. We're struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence.”
Nyong’o revealed she has joined congresswomen in Washington DC to introduce a package of uterine fibroid congressional bills and launched a uterine fibroid research grant in partnership with the Foundation for Women's Health.
“We need to stop treating this huge issue as a series of unfortunate coincidences. We must reject the normalisation 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.
“Let's study women's health and prioritise this chronic condition that has never been comprehensively examined.”
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