Lupita Nyong’o opens up about battling fibroids after her Oscar win

Award-winning actress Lupita Nyong’o has revealed for the first time that she underwent surgery to remove 30 uterine fibroids shortly after winning her Academy Award in 2014.

Nyong’o, who won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in 12 Years a Slave, made the revelation in a powerful statement shared on her Instagram page on Tuesday, July 15, 2025, as part of Fibroid Awareness Month.

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She said the diagnosis came at what many assumed was the peak of her joy and success.

“In March 2014, I won an Academy Award. That same year, I discovered I had uterine fibroids. Thirty fibroids. I had surgery to remove them,” she wrote.

She explained that when she asked her doctor if there was anything she could do to prevent the fibroids from coming back, the response was deeply discouraging.

“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,’” Nyong’o recalled.

Non-cancerous growths

The actress described uterine fibroids as non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus and can vary in size, from as small as a pea to as large as a melon.

She noted that while some people experience no symptoms, others endure heavy bleeding, anaemia, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and even complications during pregnancy.

“Uterine fibroids are non-cancerous growths that develop in or around the uterus. They can range from the size of a pea to as large as a melon. They can cause heavy menstrual bleeding and anaemia, pelvic pain, frequent urination, and complications with pregnancy. Some have no symptoms at all, while others experience debilitating effects,” she wrote.

Nyong’o, who recently played Nakia in Marvel Studios’ Black Panther, expressed concern over the lack of public conversation around fibroids, especially considering how common they are.

“Eight out of ten Black women and seven out of ten white women will experience fibroids. Yet we speak so little of them,” she noted.

She also criticised the normalisation of pain in women’s health, particularly around menstruation.

“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman,” she wrote, adding that it was only when she began speaking privately about her condition that she discovered how many other women were silently suffering.

“No more suffering in silence! We must reject the normalisation of female pain,” she declared.

Fibroids advocacy

In a significant step towards advocacy, the 2024 Berlin Film Festival jury announced that she has joined several U.S. Congresswomen and Senators in Washington, D.C., to introduce a package of bills focused on uterine fibroids.

The legislative package aims to expand research funding, increase early detection, study the causes of uterine cancer, and raise public awareness.

“Today, I joined Congresswomen @repshontel, @repyvetteclarke, @repbonnie, @reprobinkelly and Senators @sen_alsobrooks and @senlbr in Washington DC to introduce a package of uterine fibroid Congressional bills. These bills would expand research funding, increase early detection and interventions for uterine fibroids, study the causes of uterine cancer, and increase public awareness.”

She also revealed the launch of the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Research Grant, in partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health.

The grant will support research into minimally invasive or non-invasive treatments for uterine fibroids to improve the quality of life for the 15 million people affected by the condition in the United States alone.

“In partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health, I’m launching the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Research Grant. @foundationwomenshealth will seek research proposals to develop minimally invasive or non-invasive treatments for uterine fibroids to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for the 15 million patients suffering from this chronic condition in the U.S. alone. Learn more and get involved at the link in my bio.”

“As for me, I’m speaking up about uterine fibroids. This is my story. Silence serves no one,” she concluded, urging others to get involved and help shift the conversation around women’s health.