Lupita Nyong’o is thought for her highly effective performances on display, however lately, she’s utilizing her voice to shine a light-weight on a deeply private well being concern: uterine fibroids. In a candid replace on social media, the Oscar-winning actress revealed her prognosis and opened up in regards to the ache and challenges she’s confronted behind the scenes.
The 42-year-old’s story has sparked necessary conversations round a situation that impacts tens of millions of girls, however is commonly not mentioned. Study extra about what uterine fibroids are, Nyong’o’s private expertise, and the opposite stars who’ve shared their very own diagnoses, under.
What Are Uterine Fibroids?
Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or across the uterus, typically throughout a lady’s reproductive years. These tumors—additionally referred to as myomas or leiomyomas—are made up of muscle and fibrous tissue and might range in measurement, quantity, and placement.
When Was Lupita Nyong’o Recognized with Uterine Fibroids?
Nyong’o was recognized with uterine fibroids in March 2014, the identical yr she received her Academy Award for 12 Years a Slave. She revealed the prognosis publicly in July 2025, sharing that medical doctors discovered 30 fibroids on the time, which required surgical removing. For greater than a decade, she stored her expertise non-public, admitting that she had been “struggling in silence.”
“I began speaking about my expertise privately, and I noticed so many ladies are going via this,” she wrote on Instagram. “We’re struggling alone with one thing that impacts most of us. No extra struggling in silence!”
Are Uterine Fibroids Treatable?
Therapy for uterine fibroids relies on quite a few elements, together with an individual’s signs, age, reproductive targets, and the scale or location of the fibroids. Delicate instances could also be managed with remedy, reminiscent of hormonal contraception to manage bleeding or GnRH agonists to shrink fibroids. Extra invasive choices embrace uterine artery embolization (UAE), which cuts off blood circulate to the fibroids, and myomectomy, a surgical process to take away fibroids whereas preserving the uterus.
In extreme or recurring instances, a hysterectomy—removing of the uterus—could also be beneficial. Newer therapies, reminiscent of MRI-guided centered ultrasound and radiofrequency ablation, provide much less invasive options with shorter restoration occasions.
Who Else Has Been Recognized with Uterine Fibroids?
Former First Woman Michelle Obama revealed in her memoir Changing into that she had undergone surgical procedure to take away fibroids, whereas actress Gabrielle Union has spoken candidly about her a number of procedures and fertility struggles associated to fibroids. Cynthia Bailey, a star on The Actual Housewives of Atlanta, additionally shared her fibroid journey on nationwide tv.
Based on Michigan Medication, Black ladies are recognized with fibroids roughly 3 times extra often than white ladies, are likely to develop them earlier in life, and expertise bigger and extra quite a few growths that trigger extra extreme signs.
