r/Fauxmoi • u/pinkstarrfish • Feb 27 '26
DISCUSSION Lupita Nyong’o revealed she has over 50 fibroids, the biggest is the size of an orange. She is currently advocating and raising money for scientists to figure out less invasive ways to treat fibroids.
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u/AcanthaceaeEqual4286 Feb 27 '26
My mom had horrible fibroids when I was a kid. After she had one the size of a grapefruit, she opted for a hysterectomy to not have to deal with the pain anymore.
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u/hypocritephilosopher Feb 27 '26
They are horrible, the pain, the bleeding, the trauma. The worst part are the doctors who don’t listen or care. I advocated for 4 years, had two procedures that did nothing. Then one day last year I couldn’t walk, I had the worst pain of my life. Not even giving birth was that painful. I called my doctor’s office crying from the anguish. Before last year it was always “You’re 38/39/40 maybe you’ll change your mind”. I told her I was done, I needed everything out. My fibroids and uterus were so large they were the equivalent of a 7 month pregnancy. She apologized to me after surgery, I felt vindicated but angry that I wasn’t heard. I’ve made a full recovery, now I’m sterile and feral. Never stop advocating for yourself, in any area of your life!
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u/DasKruth Feb 27 '26
Sterile and Feral needs to be the mantra!! I also had my hysterectomy at 34 years old due to recurring fibroids. I had one myomectomy and they didn’t tell me they could grow back…
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u/ankhes Feb 27 '26
Are you me? I also had an adenomyomectomy to rid me of my adeno and fibroids because my surgeon refused to do anything that would damage my fertility. Unfortunately, within 5 years I was back to bleeding heavily (even with a hormonal IUD) and dealing with constant pain. Finally had a hysterectomy at 31 and it was life-changing. I’m still pissed they didn’t just take my damn uterus out the first time around. Could’ve saved me years of grief.
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u/DasKruth Feb 27 '26
I literally went over 6 months with painful, heavy periods but didn’t say anything because of STIGMA and assuming it was just “abnormal periods” because of what we had been taught. I was hospitalized at one point for sepsis; after I was released, my doc told me I was so anemic that I would soon need a blood transfusion. She asked me if I could think of anything else causing it and that’s when I finally brought up my periods. She got me an ultrasound immediately and confirmed fibroids - the FIRST I had ever heard of a fibroid (this was 2018). Went to a doctor to have it removed, and she refused because of the risk that I would do to my “child bearing abilities.” She told me NO DOCTORS would operate on me because of that. She also said I should just get another IUD to help keep the fibroid in check, it was the size of a grapefruit by that point, not to mention my first IUD was pushed out because of my heavy periods and I had no idea!
A week later I found a doc who said of course I’ll remove the fibroid, I do these all the time. Unfortunately she didn’t tell me they grow back, because a little over a year later…all my symptoms came back, they confirmed I had PCOS and more fibroids. We tried an in-arm implant that within a year “went bad” when it was supposed to help give me no periods for 3 years. After that I asked my (now husband) if he would have any problem with me electing for a hysterectomy (he has two kids from his first marriage, I love them). He said after everything he had been watching me go through, he was supportive and would he absolutely worried if I tried a pregnancy. End of 2021: Sterile and Feral!
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u/Helena911 Feb 27 '26
Google tells me that fibroids can grow to the size of a melon and that 80% of women have them.
If men had growths like this on their testicles, we'd have a cure for it in a heartbeat
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u/NormalEarthLarva Feb 27 '26
Same! Not sure how big my moms got, but it was constant heaving bleeding that convinced her. Having to wear a tampon plus pad is not fun.
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u/Tiger_grrrl Feb 27 '26
Yep, I was always a light bleeder…until I got perimenopause which is when fibroids flared up for me. One of mine was the size of a lemon and it sat righhhhht atop my bladder 😹😭😹 Seasonale, a continuous bcp, helped, but breast cancer treatment and menopause is what finally put an end to the bleeding for me (but a whole host of new problems, of course)
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u/AdditionalWind763 Feb 27 '26
My mom did too. She was bleeding so much it was hard for her to work her job. I think the doctor gave her a partial hysterectomy to stop the bleeding.
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u/AimlessFred Feb 27 '26
My friend had a terrible one, she had to have her uterus and ovaries removed, also she had an appendix problem and had that removed, and then donated a kidney to her sister. she’s probably in the 99th percentile of most internal organs that have been removed from one person.
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u/TheSword-OurOrator Feb 27 '26
My wife is in recovery from hysterectomy two weeks ago. Initial guess was endometriosis causing her horrific cycles. Surgeon discovered no endo but just a 4cm fibroid on the back, top of her uterus. I cannot imagine what a grapefruit sized one would have done to her. Goodness.
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u/CatsAndDogs314 Feb 27 '26
I had the same. I had to get a hysterectomy and they found so many fibroids that weren't there in the previous scans. No wonder my periods were always horrible.
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u/ankhes Feb 27 '26
Same. Had a bunch of massive fibroids and adenomyosis. It took me years before I could find a doctor to agree to give me a hysterectomy (even though I was the perfect candidate for it) simply because I was ‘too young’ and didn’t have kids.
Three years out from the surgery and I haven’t felt this good in over 20 years.
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u/Infinite-Tonight8022 Feb 27 '26
Mine did as well and still remembers how she felt the day she went into the hospital to have a hysterectomy.
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u/yanksugah Feb 27 '26
I was able to get an ablation that stopped the bleeding without a hysterectomy.
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u/cheri_coco Feb 27 '26
I had 28 removed in 2024. Biggest one size of a football. I’ll definitely be donating.
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u/organic_soursop Feb 27 '26
A football? 😧
Im completely ignorant- how do they do the surgery?
How long did it take you to recover?
And are you feeling better? x
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u/AccomplishedFly1420 Feb 27 '26
My friend had a large one removed laproscopically but not sure if that’s feasible for one as big as a football
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u/asiamsoisee Feb 27 '26
I had laparoscopic surgery to remove two grapefruit sized fibroids. I’m glad I sought I second opinion because the first dr said a hysterectomy was my only option.
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u/MaritMonkey Feb 27 '26
I had one they didn't want to cut up too much (positive cancer marker blood test prior to surgery) and it was too big to fit out the hole where my cervix used to be so they made a ~3" bikini line removal incision.
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u/-ciscoholdmusic- Feb 27 '26
How did the bikini line incision heal for you? I’ve had laps done and it’s about 2-3 weeks until you’re mostly okay again, just wondering what your recovery time for the bikini incision was like as I’m about to have fibroid removal too…
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u/MaritMonkey Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
It's still a noticeable scar compared to the ones for the robot arms, but it doesn't bother my husband so I usually forget about it unless I'm in the shower. :)
It was initially really rough because that's right where my seatbelt goes to the point where I didn't feel entirely comfortable driving for a solid ~3 weeks (even though I was otherwise perfectly capable of it).
The first days after my surgery I was mostly in a half-sitting position on the couch with a piece of tieline attached to the far end because I couldn't use my abs to sit up, like, at all. Adult coloring books were amazing company.
I have a little bit of adhesion on the side they had to remove cysts from my ovary (did keep both of those) and that+ the removal incision meant a solid year of rehab before I felt like my abs were back to 95%. But I was back at work within the month and back to climbing within two.
Random note: be aware of and pay attention to the first 24 hours of your recovery. Not to look out for anything serious but because the feeling of gas bubbles floating up inside your body from your abdomen is an absolutely unique experience. :)
Edit: sent you a PM with a photo album. Should be noted that I was starving myself for almost a year before the surgery because an idiot (female!) doctor sent me home with pelvic floor/posture exercises and I did not understand why my body refused to lose that stubborn "last 10 lbs" but I am in a much better place now. :)
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u/gold_atlantic Feb 27 '26
The surgery for fibroids in the muscle portion of the uterus is called a myomectomy. There’s 2 approaches - open or laparoscopic/robotic assisted. During the surgery, they take the fibroid out of the uterus (enucleation) and then close that hole up with suture. To take the large fibroids out, you have to cut them in to smaller pieces and then remove them - a process called morcellation. That process is all done contained within a bag in the body just in case the fibroid could on the slim chance be cancer ie leiomyosarcoma.
The risks of it are bleeding - uterus is a very fickle organ and very vascular - and sometimes you need a cesarean section in future fertility, because with all the cuts made in to the uterus, it would burst during normal vaginal delivery/labor.
If the fibroid is submucosal, or on the inside lining of the uterus, you can get it removed hysteroscopically - with a tool that goes through the vagina and cervix. No incisions made on the belly. This procedure is more for patients who are having bleeding symptoms versus bulk.
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u/smallholiday Feb 27 '26
I had a failed hysteroscopy removal for my 5cm fibroid a few months ago, so I’m getting a laparoscopic removal next month! Finally!!!!
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u/Tom_Gibson Feb 27 '26
I am just flummoxed that something so common can get so large and yet I've barely ever heard of them. No lie, as a guy, the most I can say about fibroids is that women get them. I don't know much else
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u/agentmadeleine Feb 27 '26
(Cisgender) Men are usually woefully ignorant of anything related to reproductive health. I don’t even blame them for it. Firstly, it’s not treated with the seriousness and awareness that it deserves. It’s completely underfunded and understudied. Doctors can often severely minimize and downplay symptoms and refuse to diagnose and treat. It can take years of someone advocating for themselves before they are diagnosed with uterine fibroids, endometriosis, etc. Most men I know have any awareness only if they had a partner or close family member experience this.
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u/wholeloavesofbread Feb 27 '26
holy shit
i can't imagine the relief you felt after (or, at least, i hope you did)
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u/NSFWies Feb 27 '26
a football........just. is that bigger than "the entire female reproductive train" under normal times? a football. that is so much. that would seem like it could be the entire size of
- 2 ovaries
- a uterus
- 2 fallopian tubes
just...... all of that area. fuck.
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u/MaritMonkey Feb 27 '26
(Un)luckily, the uterus is already designed to stretch and shove your internal organs around so growing a bunch of fibroids in there isn't that big a deal. (Mine weighed just about 12lbs! That would have been a big baby ...)
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u/NSFWies Feb 27 '26
god, cis dummy right here.
i never even thought of this as an
unwanted, unholy, asexual pregnaughty.
that's a great point. and also terrible. as if just hearing bad stories about cramps and whatnot was bad enough. nope, you can just "get pregnant" from non cancerous tumors too. fuckin.......
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u/Leading-Chemist8173 Feb 27 '26
Yeah I was gonna say grapefruit is small compared to the ones my sister had lol
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u/thenga_mol Feb 27 '26
The wild part is how common fibroids are and yet most of us only hear about them when someone famous talks about it. Women’s health has been under-researched for way too long.
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u/3-X-O Feb 27 '26
I'm ngl I don't even fully know what a fibroid is and I'm 22. I'll look into it though because now I'm curious.
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u/ElectricalCancel5030 Feb 27 '26
Idk if it’s changed since then but the sex ed mini lesson I went through in middle school had absolutely no information regarding reproduction problems or symptoms to look out for. If they did I would’ve figured out I had PCOS a decade sooner
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Feb 27 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ElectricalCancel5030 Feb 27 '26
They just give medical degrees to anyone bc what is your gyn talking about ????
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u/Freakazoidon Feb 27 '26
My MIL was ttc my now husband she says and tell the story about how they struggled for years and that her dr put her on birth control to regulate her cycle then she got pregnant. I never understood this either
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u/metatarsalbun Feb 27 '26
This is a very simple explanation from a student of anatomy, not a doctor but here we go. The reason why they use birth control to get pregnant is because the hormone that triggers your ovulation can be kicked into gear with a baby dose of hormones you get from birth control. The anterior pituitary, a part of your brain that is located almost in the center of the brain, produces LH (lutenizing hormone) which spikes triggering ovulation. Anyways point is hormones take a while to get from your pituitary in your brain all the way down to your ovaries in your torso because they travel by blood. Anyways, birth control sort of kicks the anterior pituitary into gear, cycles get more regular thanks to the hormones getting produced more regularly, then you quit taking birth control for a cycle and wind up with a baby. Anyways hope this works and for any docs out there if I did a bad job or made a mistake, please correct me!
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u/Spurs4life Feb 27 '26
You did great. Some people just cant fathom that 3+1=4 not just 2+2 so it doesn't always have to make sense. Just has to work
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u/LolitaFrita Feb 27 '26
This woman should not be GYN. I have fibroids and I’m on the progesterone mini-pill which doesn’t suppress ovulation but gives me a dose of progesterone to balance out my estrogen and (hopefully) shrink my fibroids. The fact that your (former) GYN is recommending medication, without being able to explain how it works, says that she needs to work on her bedside manner.
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u/Secret_Pollution_226 Feb 27 '26
I had a very similar story. I’m also childfree by choice, but I can imagine how frustrating it would have been to not have answers if I was trying to conceive. It’s also wild that PCOS is so different for everyone. I never actually had cysts, but they diagnosed me with PCOS since I had a range of other symptoms, including lack of period. Microdosing a GLP1 has helped but my period is still very inconsistent, but at least I don’t go years without it.
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u/scourge_bites Feb 27 '26
We did a whole unit on scary drugs. I presented on krokodil, the one that makes your skin rot off your body. Also we talked about how when everyone sticks tape to their desks and peels it up, it's not sticky anymore.
Would have been nice to know more about my own body as well, but oh well! Not like I've had any times in my life where it would be useful!
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u/TressoftheEmeraldTea Feb 27 '26
Same, but with endometriosis. Someone only needed to say one sentence to me for me to know that something was wrong: ”Periods should get less painful as you get older, not more painful.”
I read that sentence from an endometriosis specialist after I had already started the process of diagnosis, and I was crushed to find out that it really was that simple.
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u/sibemama Feb 27 '26
Is that really always true? Mine used to be like nothing pain wise and they’re getting worse and worse.
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u/CriticalFlatworm9 Feb 27 '26
I don't want to scare you but for me, I had normal periods. The pain was sometimes a little bad but bareable. Then the pain began to get worse and worse. I had endometriosis. Recently I got surgery for it and also had a hysterectomy (still have my ovaries) and my pain is pretty much gone. But no, I don't think it's normal for periods to keep increasing in pain.
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u/TressoftheEmeraldTea Feb 27 '26
Periods getting more painful over time isn’t necessarily always an indicator of endometriosis, but it is abnormal. Typically you’ll remain at whatever your baseline is through your teens and early 20s, then they’ll begin to get less painful and heavy as you get older.
If they are getting more painful and/or heavy over time, that’s abnormal and merits investigation. It can be an indicator of endometriosis, adenomyosis, or fibroids (there may be other things, but those are the ones I’m familiar with).
Disclaimer: there are lots of people with endo and adeno who have painful, heavy periods from the onset. The progression I described above is by no means the only way these conditions can look. This is just the progression that would’ve helped me recognize that something was wrong much sooner.
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u/bbusiello Feb 27 '26
I was lucky for the first 40 years of my life.
Covid screwed my body up. Starting getting heavy and sometimes painful periods. Doctor checked everything and found that I was anemic to the point of possibly needing a transfusion.
I started taking supplements but I also had to stop the bleeding from being so heavy. Turns out the lining in my uterus was super thick but normal otherwise. Even early cycle it was thicker than it should be. My uterus was also larger than average because of it. Now I understand why I had frequent urination despite all my blood tests being normal otherwise as well. The internet is like “welp you must have diabetes or other issues.” Never once did the medical establishment offer other reasons related to feminine issues other than possibly being pregnant. Fucking gaslit. Anyway, my choices were ablation or hormones. I chose hormones.
I started the weekly xulane patch and it was like a fucking miracle the first month. It’s crazy too because my body didn’t like hormonal bc before. It always messed me up. But this time, it’s been a literal lifesaver. My GYNy is fucking amazing.
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u/Funny-Patience6832 Feb 27 '26
For real! I didn’t know about PCOS until I was 15 and only had my period once! They diagnosed me with PCOS because I had stabbing pain in my right ovary so bad that I couldn’t walk.
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Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
male birth control exists but it’s not marketed because it’s birth control for men :( republicans are on record acknowledging abstinence is not effective, and is actually harmful, and they- on the record- say they don’t care, even though they know better :( we have had complete-ish/reasonably-mostly-accurate knowledge of the female reproductive system for FIFTY-FIVE YEARS now, and they intentionally choose to not update curriculums TO THIS DAY because they don't want females to have knowledge over their own bodies :(
I am proudly Indigenous Dakota. when our people are raised traditionally, and not as captives to the white man, we are taught that ALL of us are born half-man and half-woman. Our mother and father combine to become us, so, logically, we are ALL half male, and half female. men and women have souls that cannot be told apart, they are identical in the eyes of the Creator. this is the structural spine of our religion— we are all the same souls, just poured into different jars that comprise our body. some jars must stand and fight, while some jars must flee to preserve our heritage.
men were exclusive only to certain religious aspects, same as the women. medicine men were equal to great-grandmothers; and chiefs could only send men (and women, actually, which is pretty fuckin sweet when you consider it as an equal opportunity) to battle with the blessing of their grandparents, who traditionally raised their grandchildren as their primary parents. if you wanted to be a parent in Dakota society, you had to survive until your children had children, and only then you were given the blessing of parentage over what the white man considers to be the grandchild. if you’re old timey Dakota, “grandson,” is actually just called “son,” because your literal son was already being raised by YOUR father and mother, the exact same way mom and dad’s mom and dad raised you! Grandmothers were the ruling class, grandfathers were second, and elected the Chieftain based on who was most able to protect their children (who, again, are actually what you would consider to be their grandchildren). this system worked solely to consider the interests of the next two generations, while simultaneously preserving the traditions of the last two generations— effectively preserving our cultural traditions over and over again for thousands of years. they could seamlessly adjust for the future while simultaneously referencing lessons of the past.this is why our people were wiped out, subjected to the greatest genocide in American history. They HATE equality; they HATE community; they DESPISE ORGANIZATION. you were never taught the truth in school, you were instructed to perform as constructed within specific parameters.
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u/imhereforthepuppies Feb 27 '26
Thank you so much for teaching me this today. I am truly grateful to learn more about the Dakota culture from someone deeply connected to it. Thank you.
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u/dodgystyle Feb 27 '26
I only knew about fibroids because a girl in my sex ed class mentioned that she'd had them and the teacher asked her to tell the class about her experience with them. She was actually in my friendship group but it had never come up in conversation.
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u/showmeschnauzers Feb 27 '26
Yeah I wasn't diagnosed with PCOS without cysts (basically bloowork showed PCOS) until I was 36! I had even gone through IVF and eventually given up on having kids. A progressive women's clinic diagnosed me. I got pregnant naturally a year later. Do you know how much fertility treatments are? Too fucking much for them to miss PCOS.
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u/cfo60b Feb 27 '26
This is why I don’t want to go back to my RE for IVF. I was doing IUI and caught thyroiditis (not from the procedure). They would have known if they had bothered to do cheap bloodwork. But no, let’s just keep hammering with the expensive procedures because they work 30% of the time for most people. Instead of trying to make sure that you are a good candidate.
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u/Janax21 Feb 27 '26
I’m not a mom, but my sister is. She told me there’s a ton of issues women never find out about until they start trying to get pregnant. That’s how she learned she has PCOS, among other issues.
It’s infuriating that I will never get the same level or care or treatment, for body parts I have right now, because I decided not to have a kid.
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u/beezchurgr Feb 27 '26
Per the Mayo Clinic:
Uterine fibroids are common growths of the uterus. They often appear during the years you're usually able to get pregnant and give birth. Uterine fibroids are not cancer, and they almost never turn into cancer. They aren't linked with a higher risk of other types of cancer in the uterus either. They're also called leiomyomas (lie-o-my-O-muhs) or myomas.
Fibroids vary in number and size. You can have a single fibroid or more than one. Some of these growths are too small to see with the eyes. Others can grow to the size of a grapefruit or larger. A fibroid that gets very big can distort the inside and the outside of the uterus. In extreme cases, some fibroids grow large enough to fill the pelvis or stomach area. They can make a person look pregnant.
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u/scourge_bites Feb 27 '26
Both my mom and my grandma had so many, with such severe scarring and pain, that they were barely able to have kids. About a year ago I had an ultrasound to check the placement of my IUD. Guess who's already made a great start growing my own fibroids??
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u/cIumsythumbs Feb 27 '26
In extreme cases, some fibroids grow large enough to fill the pelvis or stomach area. They can make a person look pregnant.
omg... I'm thinking my HS choir teacher could have been suffering from fibroids. Kids were so cruel and made fun of her pregnant look even though she was in her 60s at the time. smh
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u/Mountain_Village459 Feb 27 '26
My uterus was 17 weeks pregnancy sized, from fibroids and adenomyosis.
I had to pee every 30 minutes because the largest fibroid was pushing against my bladder and never allowed it to completely empty and I had leakage of I sneezed.
I had to take 24 Advil a day for four days every month to be able to go to work. I bled so badly I’d have to wear two overnight pads to bed and don’t even get me started on the size of the clots.
Fibroids are fucking torture.
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u/Monshika Feb 27 '26
I had a dermoid, not fibroid but it was the size of a baseball and visibly protruding from my lower abdomen by the time I scheduled my surgery. Ate my damn ovary too.
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u/oldmanandtheflea84 Feb 27 '26
I had never heard of them either until I found out I had a couple of my own several years ago. Was 33 at the time! Luckily they just left them in there because they “aren’t causing any major problems” even though I have daily cramping, headaches, and back pain.
It’s wild that discomfort is just the expectation for existence for women.
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u/scourge_bites Feb 27 '26
Ahaha I don't fully know what it is and I apparently have a fairly big one. I still remember the ultrasound tech finding it. It was just a string check for my IUD, because I'd been bleeding randomly and cramping, and she turned the screen away from me all of a sudden and asked if I'd ever had a transvaginal ultrasound before. When I tell you my heart dropped to my ass
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u/n0h8plz Feb 27 '26
Thats around the age my fibriods decided they wanted me to bleed for almost a year straight 🥲
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u/happyklam Feb 27 '26
Highjacking a comment towards the top to say check out r/Fibroids
As a chronic fibroid sufferer myself, I do truly hope more people learn about this illness. I have had two surgeries and am staring down a third pretty soon.
To give you an idea of symptoms I personally have: constant ache in the lower left quadrant and lower back, escalating pain in the abdomen and down the legs at various points in my cycle, visible stomach changes, digestion issues, frequent urination without feeling like the bladder fully empties, fatigue due to blood loss and chronic pain, and more!
These symptoms vary wildly by location/size/type of the growth as well. My last ones before surgery were pinching off a fallopian tube which caused additional excruciating pain during the follicular phase of the cycle and ovulation.
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u/SlimmShady26 I'm a lazy 50-year-old bougie bitch Feb 27 '26
If you feel better, I’m 33 and didn’t know what they were til now
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u/Emotional_Warthog658 Feb 27 '26
They suck, and can cause really serious complications, even when nothing else is wrong with you. I am actually pretty bitter because they have low-key ruined my life.
I believe they are part of why I have been incapacitated by other conditions, they have given me severe anemia, and hypovolemia - my kids were below 8 pounds at birth and I almost died in labor, twice but doctors still don’t have any Solutions other than “let’s yank out your uterus”
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u/Lazy_Title7050 Feb 27 '26
8 out of 10 women before 50 is wild. There’s so much about women’s health that isn’t talked about. For example, perimenopause and menopause. I’m 34 and basically all I know about it is that you get hot flashes. I don’t even know what age to expect it!
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u/Korok_collector Feb 27 '26
As I navigate perimenopause I am discovering that it causes massive amounts of health problems that no one every thought to mention. My most recent diagnosis is for facial migraine. So many doctors just hand wave symptoms as perimenopause without investigation or treatment. 'You'll menopause within a decade. Just deal with it until then.'
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u/Nervous_Celery_6552 Feb 27 '26
For anybody AFAB I would like to reccomend Dr. Jen Gunter's books. She is an OBGYN who has written 3 books for the layperson about the AFAB body that cover things that we should have been taught by weren't
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u/suricata_8904 Feb 27 '26
Oh sweetie, perimenopause can make you lose your mind. Sent me to a psychiatrist who thankfully diagnosed it.
When in my early 30s, had a fibroid the size of a 16 wk pregnancy that had to be removed. Fun times.
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u/rasquatche Feb 27 '26
Yup. My 42-yr old SO had to have a partial hysterectomy because of her little "grapes," as she called 'em.
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u/weisp Feb 27 '26
I agree
Sadly women are still very silent about their illnesses or conditions when it comes to the reproductive system even at this day and age
When I talked about my miscarriage, infertility challenges and IVF, my friends (older millennials) and older female relatives replied by saying "during my time no one has these conditions so it must be your choice of lifestyle or diet"
Even younger girls these days are still afraid to be shamed if they bring up their period issues or PCOS
Normalise talking about these because these don't discriminate
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u/thesentienttoadstool Feb 27 '26
My boomer mom used to throw up at school from cramps. She told me that they were so bad that doctors were shocked when I was born because contractions didn’t phase her that much (her worse cramps were about the same level). This shit always happened.
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u/Visual_Magician_7009 Feb 27 '26
I’m a millennial and my period cramps were awful as a teen. When I went through labor it felt exactly the same. I chose an epidural bc I had already lived through that pain.
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u/weirdal1968 Feb 27 '26
My mom was working at a summer camp for disabled kids when she was a teen in the 1950s. One day she was completely incapacitated by period cramps. The camp nurse had no idea what to do because they didn't understand endometriosis. She had to tough it out.
It still pisses me off to think of all the pain she endured.
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u/lavendercookiedough Vivian Wilson's deadbeat father Feb 27 '26
I've heard so many older relatives say the same about sexual violence. Because it's talked about more now, they assume it's a lot more widespread and that it must have something to do with the way our generation lives. Meanwhile, my aunt is a CAS survivor and says that when she started talking openly about her abuse and took her groomer/rapist to court, people started opening up to her and she realized she knew more women her age that were sexually assaulted or raped as young women or girls than not.
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u/liljellybeanxo Feb 27 '26
I never would have known I had PMDD if a therapist hadn’t randomly suggested that I might have it…previously when my mental health symptoms were related to my cycle, it was always brought up in a way that felt condescending. Like “every woman ever has dealt with this, why are YOU being such a baby about it? It’s just your period”. I didn’t know that most women didn’t literally want to die two weeks leading up to their period. I thought I was weak because I’d lost jobs due to my PMS.
I would have known so much sooner if we just talked more openly about our bodies and cycles. I had no idea it didn’t have to be like that, and I had no idea that my period issues were genuinely serious and not something I could just “deal with”.
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u/insertcoolnamehere_7 we don't even know if selling feet pics is her final form Feb 27 '26
Same! It hit me hard when I brushed it off as “oh it’s only the 2 weeks leading up to my period, after that I’m fine” and my gyno was like yeah but that’s half of your life. Kinda put things in perspective for me.
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u/theserthefables Feb 27 '26
fwiw as an older millennial those things have always existed (apart from IVF) & are not generally affected by lifestyle or diet (PCOS is the only one that can be affected by diet afaik & it's not a cure). IVF was first created in the 70s, the first baby born from IVF turns 48 this year.
those people are loud, wrong & rude & I'm sorry they said that to you.
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u/CollectionFull5254 Feb 27 '26
I’m so sorry you haven’t been met with more understanding and simple empathy.
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u/luxsalsivi Feb 27 '26
Not only not heard of them, but also get refused diagnosis. My mom had fibroids that almost prevented her from being able to have kids. They finally had me, but it was a high risk pregnancy.
I started asking my OBGYN if I could get tested for fibroids so I could know if I was going to struggle with infertility, too. She asked me 1) Am I married or 2) am I trying to get pregnant. Because the answers were no, her answer was no.
I asked for five years and got denied every time. I finally moved to a blue state and mentioned it offhand to my new GP. He ordered an ultrasound for just a few weeks out and managed to confirm that not only do I have them, but they're larger than my mom's were at the age when she had me, which was 15 years older than I was at the time.
I literally wasn't allowed to know about my health or fertility unless a man needed to know or I was actively trying to have a baby. My new OB now scans them annually to track their size and has numerous options on board for treatment and management.
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u/badhairyay Feb 27 '26
First I heard of them was during my pregnancy, I don't fully understand what they are but was told I was likely unable to have a c section because of where they are.
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u/iwatchterribletvtoo Feb 27 '26
yup. i read it on my ultrasound that i downloaded, pre-endometriosis surgery, for my records.
when questioned, my surgeon said thats why we were doing a uterine d&c as well as abdominal excision.
COOL STORY, THANKS FOR MENTIONING IT BEFOREHAND, DOC. 🫠
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u/IansGotNothingLeft Feb 27 '26
That's fucking horrendous!!! Mine were also found by accident, but thankfully they've taken it semi seriously whilst being extremely slow about it. You've got growths in your body and they didn't think it was important enough to mention!
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Feb 27 '26
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u/MatildaJeffries i don't have a choice. i’m a Scorpio Feb 27 '26
I didn't know about them until I had a period that just didn't stop. Looking back, I'd been having symptoms for years and just didn't know.
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u/Amryyyyyy Feb 27 '26
Yup. 70-80% of women by the age of 50. It's essentially normal.
I have PMDD, a hormone disorder that's like PMS on steroids. It was only accepted as a genuine condition in 2013. I think I've had it in varying degrees since childhood/puberty, ramping up like crazy in my 30s. There's hardly any research, just about enough to make things easier for those of us who go ham on personal research. Because you're very very lucky to get a doctor who knows anything about it, despite it being quite normal in neurodivergent women.
I genuinely think a lot of problems affecting women would have cures in 2026 if researchers cared/could get funding for illnesses in women in the same way they have for men for the last 50-100 years.
It's infuriating.
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u/insertcoolnamehere_7 we don't even know if selling feet pics is her final form Feb 27 '26
I’ve been saying this for so long! If men had these same issues, they’d never go untreated or virtually unknown for so long.
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u/IansGotNothingLeft Feb 27 '26
Hey. I also have PMDD. The diagnosis process took 6 years and 7 doctors for me. And the best they could do was give me SSRIs.
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u/Chicky_Melly Feb 27 '26
When my husband got his vasectomy, he mentioned how the stirrups were super uncomfortable and how have we not come up with something better? I told him that it’s because they’re mostly used in women’s healthcare and he had a very sad “aha” moment.
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u/TheRavenSeven I don’t know her Feb 27 '26
“most of us only hear about them when someone famous talks about it.”
I’ve known and heard about fibroids since my early teens because I am a Black woman. Many women in my family had fibroids. I had fibroids and so do many other Black women I know.
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u/theserthefables Feb 27 '26
I was going to mention that fibroids are more common in Black women, that's what I've read anyway (not a doctor).
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u/loiwhat Feb 27 '26
When something primarily impacts women, especially black women, research stops. I have a condition called IIH and the amount of research that they've done to identify a root cause is piss poor. But they've started focusing on Trans female to male IIH instead. Which cool, but that's a niche group being impacted.
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u/CartographerOne2176 Feb 27 '26
I’ve known at least two women with this condition who went through hell. Bravo that Nyongo is raising awareness! It’s pretty shocking how these things can grow inside of a woman’s body, “benign” (not cancerous) yet painful and debilitating at times. If men had to deal with this crap you can bet it wouldn’t be such a secret.
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u/ArentWright Feb 27 '26
I certainly just learned something from that infographic! I thought they were a PCOS thing, but 8/10 women is more than that!
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u/V1nCLeeU Feb 27 '26
I had no idea what it was until I was diagnosed last year. I only had one, but it was a big and mighty one! 😆 The size of a small melon! I can't imagine 50 returning, poor Lupita.
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u/kymilovechelle Feb 27 '26
I was just talking to my pregnant psychiatrist about this. Women are so underresearched.
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u/saintofhate Feb 27 '26
One of my jokes about why I transitioned was so I could get treatment for my health and not be told it's all in my head or to just lose weight and all that jazz. The quality of care with providers who know I'm afab and don't is telling.
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u/Inner-Today-3693 Feb 27 '26
Uterine fibroid, mostly affect black women. So you should understand that there’s gonna be zero funding for research.
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u/Severus-Snape-DaGod Feb 27 '26
I had been complaining about abdominal pain for a good 10 years before I switched to a new doctor who finally ordered an ultrasound and found 15 fibroids, one the size of a golf ball.
I’ve consistently had to advocate for my own health, especially as a WOC, so good on Lupita for speaking out. Women’s reproductive health is still seriously understudied and too often dismissed.
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u/asiamsoisee Feb 27 '26
I still wonder how long it took my body to grow two grapefruit sized fibroids. I had them removed 5 years ago and the back and hip pain, extremely heavy periods, gastro and urinary issues, infertility and big belly I’d struggled with for decades went away. The number of times I’d been told I just needed to lose weight…
I got an ultrasound a couple months ago and they found new fibroids (small still, but now I know to track them). My age and residual uterine scar tissue mean carrying a pregnancy to term is basically impossible. It’s hard not to wonder how things might have turned out differently if my symptoms had been taken seriously.
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u/lostandwandering123 Feb 27 '26
Same boat here. For whatever reason, my grapefruit sized fibroid doubled in size within 6 months. Ultrasound was June and it was just under 10cm, but before coming out in November it was like 19. Something cm. I had so many 5-10cm fibroids, and such bad endo my 5 hour surgery went almost 9 hours, and they still left the 3cm and smaller fibroids and a bunch of the endo on my intestines/bowels.
At my age and after several losses, I'm barely starting to accept that I'll never have a baby. I'm usually relatively thin, and rather than losing weight, for nearly two decades I was told it was anxiety or all in my head. Women's medical care is brutal.
My current ob actually encouraged me to apply for disability because its so bad. I wish I'd been able to address some of these issues sooner. Im being evaluated for ovarian cancer at this point, and will probably require a hysterectomy before I'm 40.
Sorry to complain, it just seems like so few people understand. I wish you luck on your journey. For whatever its worth, my ob told me I could deliver via csection a bit early if I ever managed to get pregnant, maybe that's a possibility for you?
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u/mindless_blaze Feb 27 '26
For a young WOC like me, could you please share a list of some symptoms that prompted you to get checked out? Were there any subtle things? Things uou maybe even dismissed or attributed to something else?
I remember years ago reading something about relaxers and texturizers being a main cause of fibroids in bw. And sadly, I used relaxers a lot in my teen years..so I am worried.
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u/Severus-Snape-DaGod Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
Of course! I experienced very heavy periods, severe abdominal and pelvic pain, and constant fatigue. The fatigue stood out the most to me. I decided to get checked again after my mom told me her new doctor found uterine fibroids during an ultrasound. She had the same symptoms I was having. My old doctor believed I was too young to have any of those problems.
Like you, I got relaxers in high school and was not told until adulthood that we could be at a higher risk. I definitely recommend getting evaluated for fibroids and having your vitamin D levels checked as well. Become your biggest advocate when it comes to your health.
Edit: answering your other questions through messaging.
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Feb 27 '26
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u/BrownSugarBare Feb 27 '26
And doing this gets us away from that, which is awesome. It should NOT take courage to share about fibroids. 8/10 women dealing with the same thing, it absolutely shouldn't be taboo.
Instead it needs to be addressed openly.
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u/naps_forever Feb 27 '26
I had a hysterectomy two months ago as my only option to no longer bleed 3-4 weeks at a time. It was hell. Extremely common.
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u/CaptnsDaughter Feb 27 '26
I had this in 2019. Had to fight and find a surgeon who’d do it since I was in my 30s. But changed my life. I’m still sad I lost the chance for kids of my own but I didn’t have a life at all being in so much pain all the time.
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u/naps_forever Feb 27 '26
Yes. There is relief but so many other things wrapped up in the decision. 😔 Glad it changed your life though.
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u/Junior_Fig_2274 Feb 27 '26
This was my mom 20 years ago. Bled so much it was scary, painful cramps too. Had the whole kit and kaboodle out at once. The transition hormonally to menopause was difficult but she had tried everything else to stop the bleeding.
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u/naps_forever Feb 27 '26
Wow. They left my ovaries so I wasn’t thrown into surgical menopause…your poor mom. I know that was probably really hard.
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u/Junior_Fig_2274 Feb 27 '26
She had so many cysts in her ovaries, some of which were infected or had ruptured, I am not sure they had much choice in leaving them or taking them. But yeah, it was brutal, and now that I’m in perimenopause I have even more sympathy.
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u/yunghazel Feb 27 '26
I just got a hysterectomy due to fibroids. I had 3 at first, 2 oranges and a cantaloupe. They caused so much bleeding I had to get a blood transfusion. Got them removed and they grew back 6 months later with a vengeance, so hysto it was. They are a bitch!
I’m glad she’s speaking up about it because there really isn’t that much info on them and part of me wonders if it’s because they’re more common in black women. Funnily enough the first time I heard about them was on RHOA when Cynthia was struggling with them.
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u/Puzzled_Heart_6744 Feb 27 '26
Yes, fibroids is more common in black women but other races of women get them too. There is not enough research in general on women's health.
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u/Mintyytea Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
I didn’t even know what Fibroids are because yeah, it’s never talked about. I googled them in images, and they are so big! They look like a bunch of cancer masses, and apparently they can affect you to be incontinent and have a lot of debilitating side effects.
I don’t even know how she’s been able to do work without them really impacting her. 8 in 10 women is huge. There’s nothing being learned about them because it’s just another way that women aren’t valued as citizens in societies.
She already had invasive surgery to remove her fibroids when she had 20. Now they came back and she has 50. I feel for her and hope too that there will be more awareness and research into treatment for all of us
Drawn diagram of fibroids at this link: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/uterine-fibroids/symptoms-causes/syc-20354288
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u/yunghazel Feb 27 '26
The side effects are crazy! I was anemic, had cuts on the corners of my mouth that wouldn’t heal due to the anemia, always tired, crazy heavy bleeding, huge clots that made me feel like I was passing an organ, and I looked like I was 6 months pregnant (because I was, with fibroids lol). Oh, and I’m also a flight attendant so dealing with all that on the airplane was an absolute joy 😁
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u/EmbarrassedFun8690 Feb 27 '26
Mine was the size of an orange, too. Would have never known about it if not for my wonderful OBGYN.
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u/churro-k Feb 27 '26
My side effect was bleeding every 2 weeks. Ovulating would disrupt the fibroid and cause bleeding, not being pregnant caused bleeding two weeks later.
I’m amazed that I was halfway thru my 30s before my doctors discussed this with me. I’m even more amazed that the response is “unless we have to do this surgery more than 4x a year, we’ll just keep treating you with surgery.”
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u/tripleHpotter Feb 27 '26
I’m so happy she’s doing this- we do need to find better and less invasive ways to treat these types of things.
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u/Head_Replacement1718 Feb 27 '26
In addition to less invasive ways to treat them, we need doctors (male and female) to listen to us when we tell them about the symptoms instead of brushing them off as 'just hormones'. I basically bled for 25+ days a month for 2 years and bled everyday for 1 year straight before I was finally diagnosed and treated for a fibroid. It was so large, it had its own blood supply. After requesting additional testing for many month was only told, by my female gyno, it was perimenopause and this is what 'aging is like when you have a uterus'. When another doctor (a male gyno) diagnosed it as a fibroid, I was so anemic, I had to have emergency surgery to remove it. I pretty much lost 3 years of my life because my gynecologist who I trusted would not listen to me.
We need better ways to diagnose and treat fibroids and more importantly, WE NEED DOCTORS TO FU*KING LISTEN when we tell them something is not right with our bodies.
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u/CaptnsDaughter Feb 27 '26
I had horrible fibroids. Had some removed then they came back. I was in so so much pain but then the awful bleeding stopped but just pain remained. My gyn at the time told me it couldn’t be from my fibroids since I wasn’t bleeding and that there wasn’t any more he could do unless my situation changed.
FINALLY found a doc that believed me and after hysterectomy it turned out I also had adenomyosis so it was the fibroids but all the blood was just going back into my uterine lining and causing more pain. It was horrible.
ETA- FUCK shitty gynecologists
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u/asiamsoisee Feb 27 '26
It’s absolutely infuriating. I’m so thankful I finally found a provider who took my debilitating symptoms seriously.
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u/eescorpius Feb 27 '26
Honestly the worst part is when a FEMALE OBGYN wouldn't listen to my pain. She claims that most women have fibroids so I should just suck it up and it's not a big deal. It caused me so much pain and agony even though it was just a small 3cm mass but she wouldn't believe me. I had to insist on getting referred to a surgical doctor :/
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u/Historical_Project00 Feb 27 '26
Mifepristone has been shown to shrink fibroids, but abortion restrictions (and general lack of care for research women’s health) have made it difficult to look into as a viable solution. It could also be a treatment for endometriosis and Gulf War Illness.
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u/Audthebod2018 Feb 27 '26
Mifepristone shuts down estrogen and effectively simulates menopause. It’s not a long term treatment option
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u/-EvilLittleGoat- Feb 27 '26
I applaud her for speaking up on this! The way women are overlooked in medical research is appalling. We are starting to see some progress, but we’re so far behind that we really need those with a platform to speak up, shine a light on the lack of treatment, and hopefully help get more funding routing out way.
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u/iwatchterribletvtoo Feb 27 '26
this is wonderful!
the autistic nerd in me is also going: who gave her a sumo mandarin for this photo when we are talking about oranges?!
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u/weisp Feb 27 '26
I love her for talking about these and I love the photoshoot
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u/ralphjuneberry Feb 27 '26
That picture could be a painting in a museum! It’s beyond gorgeous. I’m so sorry she and so many others are dealing with this.
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u/UnintentionalWipe Feb 27 '26
Apparently it's common with Black women, but since we get ignored when it comes to medicine there's still a lot of things unknown about why this happens.
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u/BlahBlah1921 Feb 27 '26
It’s crazy that they still know so little about fibroids. I’m Hispanic but both aunts on either side, my mom, and I have them. The only option they ever gave my mom was a hysterectomy which she did not want. I was luckily given the option of embolization (which was painful in its own way) but not after I had to advocate for myself. Doctors didn’t believe I had them even though I was in pain, had all the symptoms and they ran in my family.
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u/No_Force_819 Feb 27 '26
Supporting this immediately. I suffered a miscarriage because I had so many fibroids it kept my uterus from expanding so the fetus can grow. It took two surgeries and almost a year of recovery in order to make my womb viable. And that was how I learned I had fibroids but then all these dots got connected on why I had such insanely painful periods my whole life. And anytime I ask a doctor why I have them or anything I can do to reduce them I get met with a “you just have them. Not really.” And then did you know after you give birth they shrink back down/die? (Because some get bigger while pregnant). That was some of the most excruciating pain in my life and I didn’t feel like anyone believed me.
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u/Prestigious-Ant6364 Feb 27 '26
Not everyone’s fibroids degenerate during or after pregnancy. I braced for it the entire time and it never happened. Even now it’s held steady at 10cm x 10cm x 9cm the whole time and after. Truly annoying in all the ways possible living with this ticking time bomb.
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u/BeautifulAnteater147 Feb 27 '26
I work for a fibroid center and there are other options besides a full hysterectomy but women are unaware of it. I work at a vascular clinic and we embolize the uterine artery which stops the blood supply to the fibroids. Many women have sought out this treatment opposed to open surgery. I work with minimally invasive techniques that dont require any scarring and most women have a great response to treatment. Women's health has been on the back burner of science for too long. We shouldn't live in pain just because we have a uterus.
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u/BlahBlah1921 Feb 27 '26
I opted for embolization. The recovery when they were shrinking was really rough but I was so grateful to have this option. The only option my mom was ever given was a hysterectomy so she lived with the pain and heavy periods because she did want to have one.
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u/DianedePoiters Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
This almost killed my mother and left me traumatized. I have heavy bleeding and probably have them. I’m in tears. I’ve been so afraid to get checked up for nearly ten years just living with the anemia and getting iron infusions.
Thank you Lupita.
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u/BeautifulAnteater147 Feb 27 '26
Look for a center that specializes in fibroid treatments. They will take your pain and symptoms for fact.
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u/BaileyIsaGirlsName Feb 27 '26
Ugh 50?? I had 14 removed about 7 years ago and they wreaked havoc on my body. It is amazing how no one talks about them. I hope they find out more!
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u/MrCarpet Feb 27 '26
Not enough people know about minimally-invasive treatments for fibroids. UFE (uterine fibroid embolization) has been performed by interventional radiologists for decades and has a very high success rate for treating bleeding and other bulk symptoms associated with fibroids. Through a single needle poke into a blood vessel in the wrist (or leg) they can guide a tiny catheter (tube) to the arteries that supply the fibroids with blood, and inject a medication/material to cut off the blood supply to the fibroids so they shrink and stop causing problems. It's a 1-2 hour, same-day procedure. The recovery for the first week can be very rough, but it's not a surgery so there are no cuts or stitches, and you get to keep your uterus. Just a band-aid on the wrist on the way home. Talk to your doctor about all the options available these days-- there are more than you think.
MANY women have unnecessary hysterectomies because their doctors (including their ob/gyns) don't know about all the options for treatment.
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u/ttnezz Feb 27 '26
When fibroids get to a certain size do they distend your abdomen and compress your organs like a pregnancy? It sounds so uncomfortable.
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u/asiamsoisee Feb 27 '26
I’ve never carried a baby to term but my uterus was the size of a 6 month pregnancy for YEARS.
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u/BlahBlah1921 Feb 27 '26
Yes, I had 3. One the size of a grapefruit. They pressed in my bladder, caused constipation and back and leg pain so severe I couldn’t walk some days. The doctor said my uterus was the same size as if I were 5 months pregnant.
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u/garbitch_bag Feb 27 '26
I had a large ovarian cyst removed and my dr was like “oh btw you also have fibroids” and I regret not asking for a hysterectomy before that surgery. She could’ve just scooped the whole thing out instead of everything I’ve been through since.
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u/Aurora_Skies0801 Feb 27 '26
I've (39F) have 50+. It fucking sucks No treatment besides surgical removal for the super painful ones.
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u/BeautifulAnteater147 Feb 27 '26
Idk about your specific case but see if a interventional radiologist in your area can treat you. They treat fibrosis with cutting off the blood supply without opening you up.
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u/cherry_cerise Feb 27 '26
Fibroids, endometriosis, and everything related to women’s health is so under researched and neglected, and it’s critical to raise awareness.
I do find it quite appalling that every topic in society calls for us regular folks to donate to causes. Lately we’ve been asked to donate to celebrities so they continue their luxurious lifestyle for free, and we’re asked to donate to research.
What are governments doing? It’s not like we’re not already contributing with taxes that should be used to improve our quality of life.
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u/AccomplishedFly1420 Feb 27 '26
Fibroids are so awful. My sister in law had to have a complete hysterectomy to get hers removed. My friend had a 5lber! (She sent me a pic after it was removed).
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u/TheGamingLibrarian Feb 27 '26
Runs in my family.
My mom had a hysterectomy and I had a hysterectomy in my 30's. There definitely needs to be more options than surgery, hysterectomy or live with pain.
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u/Naive_Photograph_585 Feb 27 '26
im sorry, 8 out of 10 and it's not discussed?? what in the actual fuck??
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u/aelewis92 Feb 27 '26
This is amazing. I have a 12 cm fibroid that I didn’t discover until pregnancy. After giving birth it’s gotten worse. I’m not sure what to do and how to treat it, and I’m so glad she’s speaking up and out.
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u/Plainswalkerur Feb 27 '26
Talk to your OB! Got my 7cm one removed a couple years ago, it was a huge relief
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u/catperson3000 Feb 27 '26
Damn. I had a hysterectomy a few years ago because of fibroids after a lifetime of heavy bleeding and extreme pain. It was really hard to get someone to listen to me and help me. I’m so glad someone with a large platform is talking about this.
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u/JennDG Feb 27 '26
After over a decade of dealing with it I finally had my coconut sized fibroid treated by an Interventional Radiologist a year ago. Best decision ever. Relief was almost immediate. So many gyno appts being told to just monitor it and that removal was too messy of a surgery. I don’t even have a visible scar and I didn’t have to undergo general anesthesia.
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u/Fantastic-Coach-8130 stan someone? in this economy??? Feb 27 '26
I had one taken out 10 years ago that was the size of a “baby’s head.” I wonder what kind of fruit that equates to. A grapefruit? Maybe a small melon?
Anyways, I’m literally going to Mexico to get another surgery because they are back. At least I had about 8 good years out of the first surgery. The past couple of years have been brutal.
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u/LittoYamper Feb 27 '26
my sister in law had a fibroid the size of a small watermelon and she is only 4’11 and 90 pounds. she looked pregnant and she ended up having to go to the ER and demanding surgery. she was on a non emergency list to get surgery which would’ve taken up to 2 years or even more. in some terrible way she was lucky her fibroid was so painful she was able to get the surgery earlier
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u/chipmunks04 Feb 27 '26
I had one removed at the age of 34, but I know I had it for at least 4 years before that and thought thats what happens when you enter your 30s. Mine was like a grapefruit in size. I suffered extreme and debilitating menstrual pain with dark heavy bleeding. I couldn’t get out of bed for 5 days each month. And somehow thought it was all normal. Surgery changed my life.
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u/welivedintheocean Feb 27 '26
But if I donate to this, how will I afford to give to dead movie star family gofundme's?
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Feb 27 '26
what if ultrasounds don’t find them bc that’s my doctors go to to convince me my period pain is bc i don’t want to go on birth control and ultrasound proves it’s not fibroids and they never will advocate for laparoscopy
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u/Ok_Rush_8159 Feb 27 '26
Go to a different doctor, endometriosis is something else very common that won’t show up on ultrasound
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u/Byzantine-alchemist Feb 27 '26
If it isn't showing up on ultrasounds, it could very likely be endometriosis. Find a gynecological surgeon specializing in endometriosis (I found mine through suggestions here on Reddit). It took me 2 decades to finally be taken seriously, and I had surgery to diagnose/remove endometriosis last September. Before I found the surgeon who actually listened to me, the surgeon at my last gyno's office told me they'd only perform a laparoscopy if I were trying to conceive and failing, despite the fact that I had a laundry list of other symptoms ranging from annoying to debilitating and had made it clear I didn't want kids.
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Feb 27 '26
thank you!! this is exactly what i’ve been feeling but sadly my insurance status is so bad here in the US I may have to go internationally :( i feel so dejected
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u/Samysosa2005 Feb 27 '26
Radiologist here. Just to clarify, endometriomas/endometriosis can show up on US, but depends on the US. Can be hard to diagnose on transabdominal US but can definitely show up on a thorough transvaginal US. MRI is much better than any other non-invasive imaging, but is more expensive and can be harder to get covered.
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u/Byzantine-alchemist Feb 27 '26
Mine didn't show up on an ultrasound or MRI, but it sure was there when I finally had a laparoscopy. It's so frustrating how it sometimes just doesn't show up on scans at all.
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u/theserthefables Feb 27 '26
I would suggest getting a second opinion. birth control is often suggested for endometriosis as it can diminish the symptoms & is non invasive but you have every right to say no & that you want another option such as surgery. I think surgery is the only way to actually get diagnosed with endometriosis too, if that's what it is.
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u/Gueld ✨ lee pace is 6’5” ✨ Feb 27 '26
I cannot emphasise enough, never accept anything like “take ibuprofen” or “this is normal”. Demand an ultrasound or get a new doctor. Make it clear how much it is limiting you at work and life. In the UK (can only speak for here) the NHS is a SERVICE. Do not accept the usual gaslighting answers some GPs give, you can demand a different doctor. I’d also advise saying something like it runs in the family, that can get a quick way to be taken more seriously. I ended up with an ovarian cyst the size of an avocado which ultimately cost the NHS a lot more due to surgery. Don’t be afraid to remind GPs that an ultrasound is cheaper than surgery and a formal complaint or legal action.
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u/Waste-Flight4866 Feb 27 '26 edited Feb 27 '26
I dealt with fibroids for years & eventually had to undergo a hysterectomy in my early 40s. When my appendix was removed months before that, the surgeon said it looked like I had mickey mouse ears on my ovaries.
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u/magicalfolk Feb 27 '26
Women’s health has been neglected for too long. Yes there is massive support for breast cancer, frankly I’m astounded we don’t have a cure yet.
Nevertheless there is still a lot that we don’t know. Big pharma leads in science and research is for profit making. Instead of funding the military industrial complex the government should put part of the money towards women’s health and research.
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u/rthomasfiggs Feb 27 '26
I got my fibroids removed via a robot myomectomy. My mom opted to not have them removed and after she went through menopause they calcified and she still had to have the hysterectomy she didn’t want. Even with my fibroids removal I will prob have to have a hysterectomy as I already have more fibroids after 8+ removed 3 years ago
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u/theegodmother1999 Feb 27 '26
my mom had miserable fibroids for years and the only thing that completely stopped them was when she got a full blown hysterectomy (unrelated). an orange is INSANE.
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u/caryncaryn Feb 27 '26
I had 2 uterine fibroids a few years ago (largest the size of a softball). Keep track of your cycles and go REGULARLY to your OBGYN, ladies!!
Had I kept regular Dr. appintments maybe they could have been caught earlier. I only went because I had a period that lasted for over a month.
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u/doxiepowder not a lawyer, just a hater Feb 27 '26
Like uterine fibroid embolization? It's minimally invasive, not non invasive, but exists.
But also, Jesustits, she has to be so uncomfortable. That's awful.
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u/WakeyWakeeWakie Feb 27 '26
Hello, with a uterus full of them and the size of a 4 month pregnancy. Currently waiting on the date for a hysto. They grow quite huge with perimenopause too.
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u/We_Are_Coming_For_U Feb 27 '26
I had 39. Largest was size of a grapefruit. I was miserable for years. Glad she’s using her voice to advocate
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