Lupita Nyong’o Opens Up About Living with Over 50 Uterine Tumours

Lupita Nyong’o, the Oscar-winning actress, is speaking out about a health crisis affecting millions of women. She recently revealed that she is currently living with more than 50 uterine fibroids.

Fibroids are non-cancerous growths made of muscle that develop in or around the womb. For Nyong'o, this health journey began over a decade ago.

A Decade of Silence

Twelve years ago, a doctor told the actress she had tumours growing inside her. At the time, they ranged in size from small blueberries to a large orange.

Her doctor tried to reassure her by saying the condition was common. However, Nyong'o did not find that answer comforting. She felt that being common did not make the physical and emotional toll acceptable.

“12 years ago, a doctor told me I had tumors growing inside me. The smallest were the size of blueberries. The largest is an orange. He called them “fibroids,” – benign tumors that grow in and around the uterus, and reassured me they were common,” she recalls.

For more than ten years, she chose to suffer in silence. It was only last July that she decided to share her diagnosis with the public for the first time.

The Invisible Burden

Medical experts explain that fibroids can cause significant disruptions to daily life. Symptoms often include heavy or prolonged periods, severe pelvic pain, and anaemia. In some cases, they can also lead to infertility.

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Recent updates indicate that the actress’s fibroids have returned. Despite this, Nyong'o recently told the Today Show that she feels "pumped" to be leading a new movement. She refers to the condition as an invisible burden that many women carry alone.

"Sharing our stories is one of the most powerful things we can do,” she says.

Challenging the Status Quo

The scale of the issue is vast. Statistics show that up to 80 per cent of women will develop fibroids by the age of 50. However, the impact is not the same for everyone.

Research indicates that Black women are disproportionately affected. They often develop these tumours earlier in life and experience more severe symptoms. This frequently leads to higher rates of hospitalisation and invasive surgeries, such as hysterectomies.

Despite how widespread the condition is, it remains severely underfunded and under-researched. Nyong'o is now working to change this.

Funding a Global Solution

The actress has partnered with the Foundation for Women’s Health to launch a new campaign. Known as #MakeFibroidsCount, the initiative aims to fund research into less-invasive treatments.

She is inviting women globally to join the cause during February and March. Participants are encouraged to share their own stories online. Some are even posting images of fruit to represent the size of the tumours they carry.

Nyong'o believes that by speaking out, she can help the next woman feel less alone. The campaign seeks to stop the normalisation of debilitating pain and provide hope for future generations.