Academy Award-winning actor Lupita Nyong’o recently called for more funding and screening for uterine fibroids, revealing her own personal story with the condition.
Yesterday, Nyong’o joined members of the Congressional Black Caucus to discuss the topic, highlighting the need for more federal research funding into studying fibroids. While the members of the Congressional Black Caucus acknowledged that garnering sufficient support for funding might be challenging, they agreed to try by reintroducing a 2023 bill.
Titled the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Uterine Fibroids Research and Education Act after the late Congresswoman, who advocated for increased funding before her death, the bill seeks approximately $150 million in funding over five years.
Introduced by Congresswoman Yvette D. Clarke, the bill also calls for an expansion of the CMS database to include information on services for patients with fibroids, a public education program and the distribution of fibroids information to health care providers.
While discussing her 2014 diagnosis, Nyong’o revealed a lack of answers from health care providers. Her journey after being diagnosed with 30 fibroids has inspired her to partner with the Foundation for Women’s Health to award a $200,000 research grant.
“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain and that pain is simply part of being a woman. I started talking about my experience privately and I realized so many women are going through this,” said Nyong’o in an Instagram post. “We’re struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence. We need to stop treating this massive issue like a series of unfortunate coincidences.”
Although women of all demographics struggle with uterine fibroids, Black women are disproportionately affected by the condition.
Per the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 70% to 80% of Black women develop some form of uterine fibroid tumors by their late forties. Along with the increased production of extracellular matrix proteins, leading to the development of fibroids, Black women have been found to respond to medical treatments differently.
Black women are also more likely to be underdiagnosed with the condition, getting a diagnosis in later stages when the fibroids have grown. Interpersonal racism amongst health providers often leads to dismissals of symptoms when discussed, according to the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Through further research, healthcare professionals can help address disparities in care.
“Transformation begins with understanding and understanding requires research,” said Nyong’o in her recent Instagram post. “So let’s start researching some female bodies.”
