Kenyan-Mexican actress and model Lupita Nyong’o is using her voice to shed light on uterine fibroids, a condition she has personally battled for years.
On her birthday, March 1, 2026, the Academy Award–winning actress revealed in an Instagram post that she has carried 77 uterine fibroids. Of those, 25 have been surgically removed, while more than 50 continue to grow—the largest about the size of an orange.
To symbolise her experience, Nyong’o shared a powerful image of herself holding a basket filled with 77 pieces of fruit, each representing a fibroid and the physical and emotional weight many women endure in silence. 
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Opening up about her journey, she shared: “I have endured seasons of constant pain, losing dangerous amounts of blood each month, and suffering in silence.” Her honesty resonated deeply with women who have faced similar struggles.
She is known for her critically acclaimed roles in 12 Years a Slave and Black Panther, Nyong’o has earned numerous accolades, including an Academy Award and a Daytime Emmy Award. Now, she is channeling her global platform toward advocacy and women’s health awareness.
In partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health, she has launched the #MakeFibroidsCount campaign to raise awareness and fund research for a condition that affects up to 80 percent of women by age 50 and disproportionately impacts Black women. Despite how common the condition is, research funding and treatment options remain limited.
After publicly sharing her story, Nyong’o said women around the world reached out with similar experiences. Their stories reinforced her commitment to pushing for better treatment options, greater medical research, and increased funding.
“To get there, we need research, and research needs funding,” she wrote.
Through #MakeFibroidsCount, Nyong’o hopes to help create a future where no woman suffers from fibroids untreated, undertreated, or unheard, and where women’s health is treated as a priority rather than an afterthought.
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