AAP News
Lupita Nyong'o. [Photo Credit: AP Photo]
Lupita Nyong’o has revealed her uterine fibroids diagnosis after “suffering in silence” for more than a decade.
The 42-year-old actor was diagnosed with the illness – which sees non-cancerous growths developing in or around the uterus – 11 years ago, and she has opened up in a bid to encourage more people to talk about women’s health issues.
She wrote on Instagram over a series of photos: “In March 2014, I won an Academy Award. That same year, I discovered I had uterine fibroids. 30 fibroids.
“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.’ ”
She explained that uterine fibroids “can range from the size of a pea to as large as a melon”, and “can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and anaemia, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and complications with pregnancy”.
One of the slides on The Wild Robot star’s post noted that while some women “have no symptoms at all”, others will “experience debilitating effects”.
Nyong’o pointed out how people “speak so little” of the health issue, despite fibroids affecting eight out of 10 Black women, and seven out of 10 white women.
“I started talking about my experience privately, and I realised so many women are going through this,” she wrote.
“We’re struggling alone with something that affects us most. No more suffering in silence!
“We must reject the normalisation of female pain.”
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