Lupita Nyong’o Opens Up About Her Fibroid Journey and Why Women Need to Keep Talking

CULTURAL HEALTH | Fibroid Awareness Month may have come to a close, but for the millions of women living with fibroids, the conversation doesn’t end with July.

Lupita Nyong’o is using her own experience to help keep that conversation going.

“I really didn’t know I had an issue until I found out I had an issue,” Nyong’o shared during a recent interview while reflecting on her journey with fibroids.

For years, she says she believed the pain surrounding her period was simply something she was supposed to endure. It wasn’t until 2014, at age 31, when the pain became severe and she noticed a stiffness in her belly, that she raised the concern with her gynecologist. Initially told it was “probably nothing,” Nyong’o pushed for answers.

“I doubled down and insisted, like, I think something is really wrong.”

An ultrasound followed, revealing multiple fibroids.

The diagnosis left Nyong’o wondering why she knew so little about a condition that had been affecting her own body.

“Why don’t I know about this?” she recalled thinking. “Why am I now having to start with, like, fibroid 101, like, what is a fibroid?”

That experience ultimately pushed her to become more proactive about her health and more vocal about what she had gone through.

“For me, speaking up about my experience led me to a community of people who had way more information than I did,” she said. “And it’s my desire to pass that information on.”

Fibroid Awareness Month may be over, but awareness is bigger than a month. Nyong’o’s story is a reminder to listen to your body, advocate for yourself when something doesn’t feel right and keep the conversation going.