In 2014, Lupita Nyong'o was regularly exhausted, pre-anaemic, and experiencing pain so severe during her periods that it disrupted her daily life. Like countless women before and since, she had been quietly taught that pain is simply part of being a woman. It wasn't until she sought answers — and was eventually diagnosed with uterine fibroids — that she understood what was actually happening. Now, after two surgeries and more than 80 fibroids, the Oscar-winning actor has partnered with the Foundation for Women's Health and GoFundMe to launch a research fundraiser that could change outcomes for millions of women worldwide.
**What Are Fibroids — and Why Don't We Talk About Them?**
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths that develop in the walls of the uterus. They range from tiny seed-sized nodules to masses larger than a grapefruit. Many women have them without ever knowing — fibroids can be entirely asymptomatic. But for a significant proportion of those affected, they cause heavy and prolonged periods, chronic pelvic pain, anaemia, and in some cases, complications with fertility.
The statistics are striking: up to 80% of women will develop fibroids by the age of 50. Despite that prevalence, the treatment options available have remained largely unchanged for decades. The primary interventions are surgical: myomectomy (removal of individual fibroids) or hysterectomy (removal of the uterus entirely). Both carry significant recovery times and surgical risks.
Minimally invasive alternatives exist but are not universally available or suitable for all cases. And because fibroids are not life-threatening in most cases, research investment has been modest relative to the scale of the problem.
**Lupita's Journey**
Lupita Nyong'o has spoken openly about the years she spent experiencing symptoms without understanding their cause. After her first diagnosis and surgery to remove more than 30 fibroids, she hoped the matter was resolved. Fibroids have a high recurrence rate, however. By her second surgery, the count had reached over 50 new fibroids. Her total over two procedures: more than 80.
'I refused to simply accept this as my reality,' she said. Her partnership with the Foundation for Women's Health and GoFundMe aims to fund a research grant specifically focused on the development of minimally invasive and non-invasive fibroid treatments — approaches that could remove or shrink fibroids without the burden of open surgery.
**The Racial Dimension**
Uterine fibroids do not affect all women equally. Black women are disproportionately impacted: they develop fibroids at younger ages, experience more severe symptoms, and are more likely to require multiple surgeries. Research into the factors driving these disparities remains limited, and access to specialist care has historically been less equitable.
By speaking publicly about her own experience, Lupita Nyong'o is adding her voice to a growing movement of women — particularly Black women — who are challenging the normalisation of fibroid-related suffering and the lack of urgency that has characterised the research landscape.
**What the Research Could Achieve**
The campaign's goal — funding a research grant through the Foundation for Women's Health — is focused on treatments that don't require surgery or are far less invasive than current surgical options. This could include advances in focused ultrasound technology, hormone-targeted pharmaceuticals, or novel interventional techniques that could be performed in outpatient settings.
For women currently facing the prospect of major surgery, even an incremental improvement in available options could be transformative. A celebrity campaign is not, by itself, a research breakthrough. But it is the thing that sometimes precedes one: the moment when a widely shared experience stops being invisible and starts being a problem that people demand solutions to.
Eighty percent of women will develop uterine fibroids by the age of 50. That is not a footnote. It is one of the most common health experiences in the world. It deserves treatment options that match its scale — and it deserves to be talked about. 💙
*Sources: Good Good Good (March 7, 2026) · Foundation for Women's Health · GoFundMe · ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists)*
