*MSNBC’s Tiffany Cross has revealed that she underwent a full hysterectomy to end the “debilitating” pain she suffered from fibroids.
As reported by PEOPLE, the host of “Cross Connection” dedicated a portion of her show on Sunday to discuss her experience with the condition where noncancerous growths form on the uterus.
“For years I lived with intense debilitating and shooting pain,” Cross said. “I endured extremely heavy periods and despite my best working out efforts I had a constantly protruding stomach. After hours in an emergency room one day after convincing doctors that there was actually something wrong with me, I discovered that what I was dealing with was not so uncommon at all. Just like more than 25 million other women, I had fibroid tumors.”
Watch the clip below.
In this week’s essay, @TiffanyDCross shares a personal story about her battle with fibroids, which many women experience by the age of 50. #CrossConnection pic.twitter.com/PyFklRCYaP
— The Cross Connection with Tiffany Cross (@CrossConnection) September 25, 2021
Cross noted that her “five grapefruit-sized” tumors caused her to develop hair loss.
She had a tough choice to make when told by her medical team that her only options were to cut around the fibroids so she could still have children or get a full hysterectomy.
“They could remove my uterus entirely and the fibroids and painful periods would be gone. But so too would my ability to carry children,” Cross said. “I was already over 40, I wasn’t married and I had never met this baby I was supposed to have. So, was I to live with pain, go bald and slice my body in half twice? I made the decision that was best for me and opted to have a full hysterectomy.”
Were it not for @dreamhampton, the #RKellyTrial may have never happened. The tireless, and sometimes thankless, work of Black women cast wide nets of influence. Often, we save ourselves. #SurvivingRKelly https://t.co/XuOhLkaGeG
— @tiffanydcross (@TiffanyDCross) September 28, 2021
According to a report from the University of Michigan, by age 35, 60% of Black women have fibroids.
“I had a scar as a result of the hysterectomy, and I was so ashamed about it and self-conscious about it,” said Cross. “And how I knew this problem was so prevalent is because, you know, when other women I would talk to them they would say, oh, let me see your scar. Look at my scar.”
Cross urges women to see their doctors if they’re suffering from uterine pain.
“Like I said, everybody’s different. I had five grapefruit-sized fibroids that had to be removed. Some people have smaller more or less, so everybody’s different,” she said. “Please talk to your healthcare professional.”
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