Lupita Nyong'o Reveals Details of Private 10-Year Health Battle Since Oscar Win

Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong'o has bravely opened up about her long and private battle with uterine fibroids, revealing she was first diagnosed with the condition in 2014—the very same year she clinched her first Academy Award.

In an emotional Instagram post, the celebrated Kenyan-Mexican actress disclosed that she underwent surgery that year to remove an astonishing 30 non-cancerous tumours from her uterus.

“I discovered I had uterine fibroids—30 of them. I had surgery to remove them,” she wrote in a poignant caption alongside a series of reflective images.

“I asked my doctor if there was anything I could do to prevent them from coming back.” But the response, she recalled, was bleak: “You can’t. It’s only a matter of time until they grow again.”

Uterine fibroids, she explained, are often described as ranging in size from a pea to a melon and can cause a host of debilitating symptoms.

These include heavy menstrual bleeding, which can lead to anaemia, chronic pelvic pain, frequent urination, and in some cases, even complications with pregnancy.

Nyong’o expressed profound frustration over how little public discussion surrounds the condition, despite it affecting a staggering eight out of ten Black women and seven out of ten white women.

Her personal experience brought to light the silent suffering many women endure.

“I started talking about my experience privately and I realised so many women are going through this. We’re struggling alone with something that affects so many of us. No more suffering in silence!” she powerfully declared.

“We must reject the normalization of female pain.” Her full caption went on to encourage more open dialogue around women's reproductive health and offered solidarity to countless others suffering in silence.

A Career of Accolades and Advocacy

Lupita is best known for her critically acclaimed and award-winning role in 12 Years a Slave, which earned her the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2014.

Since then, her career has soared, with multiple accolades, including a Daytime Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and prestigious nominations for the Golden Globe, BAFTA, and Tony Awards.

Beyond her formidable presence on screen, the Kenyan-Mexican star is a passionate advocate for women's rights, animal rights, and the preservation of cultural heritage.

In 2014, she was famously named People Magazine’s Most Beautiful Woman, and in 2019, she published the bestselling children’s book Sulwe, which topped the New York Times list.

She has also been recognised for her compelling narration work on the documentary series Serengeti, earning nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Narrator. In 2020, Forbes Africa listed her among Africa’s 50 Most Powerful Women.