Lupita Nyong’o is getting real about something so many women quietly endure. On July 15, she took to Instagram to share her deeply personal battle with uterine fibroids, using her story to shine a light during Fibroid Awareness Month.
She revealed that back in 2014, the same year she won her Oscar for 12 Years a Slave, she was diagnosed with 30 uterine fibroids and had to undergo surgery to remove them. The diagnosis came as a shock, and when she asked her doctor how to keep them from coming back, she was told there wasn’t much she could do — that it was only a matter of time.
Nyong’o described fibroids as noncancerous growths that can range in size from a pea to a melon. They can cause all kinds of symptoms, including heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, and even complications during pregnancy — or no symptoms at all. Despite being incredibly common, especially among Black women, these growths are rarely talked about, according to HuffPost.
“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman,” she wrote in her post. But when she began sharing her experience privately, she discovered how many others were suffering too.
“We’re struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence,” she wrote. “We need to stop treating this massive issue like a series of unfortunate coincidences.”
Nyong’o called for a shift — for early education, better screenings, more research into prevention, and less invasive treatment options. “Let’s study women’s health and prioritize this chronic condition that has never been comprehensively examined,” she added.
Her post sparked a wave of responses from women who’ve lived through similar pain. One person wrote, “Mine were literally making me crazy… I opted to have a hysterectomy last year, and it’s been life-changing.” Another said, “I could have avoided so much pain with a correct diagnosis when I was young.” A third shared that she bled for four months straight before finally having surgery in 2021.
But Nyong’o isn’t just talking — she’s taking action. She joined lawmakers in Washington, D.C., to introduce new bills aimed at expanding fibroid research, improving early detection, and raising awareness. She stood beside Rep. Shontel Brown, who shared a photo with her and wrote, “Silence saves no one. It’s time we raise our voices.”
She’s also partnering with the Foundation for Women’s Health to launch the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Research Grant. The goal is to develop minimally or non-invasive treatments for the roughly 15 million Americans living with fibroids.
Nyong’o’s story is one of many. Celebrities like Venus Williams, FKA Twigs, and Nischelle Turner have all come forward with their own fibroid battles — the pain, the surgeries, the years of being dismissed by doctors. Their stories echo a troubling pattern in women’s healthcare, where real pain is too often brushed off.
With voices like Lupita’s leading the charge, there’s hope that more women will finally get the answers, care, and respect they deserve.