In a series of Instagram posts, the Oscar-winning star revealed that she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids in 2014—the same year she won an Academy Award for her role as Patsey in 12 Years a Slave.
“In March 2014, I won an Academy Award. That same year, I discovered I had uterine fibroids—30 of them. I had surgery to remove them.
“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,’” the actress revealed.
Uterine fibroids are benign growths that develop in or around the uterus.
They vary in size—from as small as a pea to as large as a melon—and can cause symptoms such as heavy menstrual bleeding, anaemia, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and complications during pregnancy. In some cases, they present no symptoms at all.
Nyong’o, 42, highlighted how widespread the condition is, especially among Black women, yet how rarely it is discussed.
“Eight out of ten Black women and seven out of ten white women will experience fibroids by age 50. Yet we speak so little of them.
“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman,” she noted.
