*Lupita Nyong’o has come forward with a personal story, using her platform to advocate for greater research, education, and support for those affected by uterine fibroids.
Fibroids, which are typically non-cancerous growths in or around the uterus, impact many women. The Office of Women’s Health states that 20% to 80% of women will develop them at some point. Symptoms vary but often include heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, anemia, and potential pregnancy complications.
“We’re struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence!” Nyong’o stated in a candid Instagram post.
The Academy Award-winning actress disclosed that she had 30 fibroids surgically removed in 2014. “The Black Panther” star recalled that despite undergoing surgery, her doctor warned her the fibroids would likely return and that prevention wasn’t possible. “At puberty, we’re taught periods bring pain, and that pain is just part of womanhood,” she wrote.
The condition disproportionately affects Black women, who are three times more likely to experience fibroids than white women, per the National Library of Medicine. “We need to stop treating this massive issue like a series of unfortunate coincidences,” Nyong’o urged. “We must reject the normalization of female pain.”
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As July marks Fibroid Awareness Month, Nyong’o appeared on Capitol Hill to support a new legislative package targeting uterine fibroids. The proposed bills would allocate additional research funding, improve early detection efforts, explore the roots of uterine cancer, and promote public education.
The “12 Years a Slave” actress also announced a new research grant—the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Grant—in collaboration with the Foundation for Women’s Health.
“There’s something deeply wrong when a serious, mysterious health problem is so common that it’s treated as casual, as inevitable,” Nyong’o posted on the foundation’s website. “We deserve better. It’s time to demand it.”
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