Lupita Nyong'o shares emotional post about decade-long battle with uterine fibroids on her birthday

Lupita Nyong'o penned an emotional essay about living with uterine fibroids to coincide with her 43rd birthday on Sunday.

The Academy Award-winning actress took to Instagram and said she was 'feeling reflective' as she reached the annual milestone.

Nyong'o told her 11.3 million followers about her current health status in candor, adding an image of an MRI she had done to provide a visual aid.

'Over the course of my lifetime, I have carried 77 uterine fibroids: 25 surgically removed, and more than 50 still growing inside me today, the largest the size of an orange,' the 12 Years A Slave star wrote.

The A Quiet Place: Day One star said her story wasn't rare - but 'just a rarely told one.'

Nyong'o said she's 'endured seasons of constant pain, losing dangerous amounts of blood each month, and suffering in silence.'

Uterine fibroids, according to the Cleveland Clinic, 'are a common type of noncancerous tumor that can grow in and on your uterus.

'Not all fibroids cause symptoms, but when they do, symptoms can include heavy menstrual bleeding, back pain, frequent urination and pain during sex.'

The Kenyan-Mexican beauty was pictured in multiple shots holding a filled fruit basket, which she said marked a visual representation of her fibroids.

'In this image, I’m holding 77 fruits, as a symbol for each fibroid, to make visible the weight that I, and millions of women like me, carry every day.'

Nyong'o said that after publicly revealing her heath battle in 2025, she was overwhelmed by the response - as 'women everywhere reached out with stories just like' the one she shared.

Nyong'o said the avalanche of feedback inspired her to collaborate with the Foundation for Women's Health on a campaign aimed at increasing funding for further research of fibroids.

'That’s why I launched #MakeFibroidsCount, MakeFibroidsCount.org to raise funds and awareness for uterine fibroid research,' Nyong'o said. 

She added, 'So, my birthday wish is a world where no woman has to suffer through fibroids untreated, undertreated, or unheard. To get there, we need research. And research needs funding.'

Nyong'o, who first was diagnosed with the condition in 2024, encouraged her followers to donate funds.

'Will you give a gift that truly matters?' she said. 'Every dollar goes toward research that could change or even save a woman’s life. Maybe someone you love.'

Nyong'o ended in saying, 'Thank you for celebrating with me in the most meaningful way possible.'

Nyong'o said on Wednesday's edition of the Today Show that she feels 'really empowered' as she seeks to raise awareness of fibroids.

'I’ve found community,' said Nyong'o. 'I’ve locked arms with women who have been fighting this fight for a long time.

'And we get to raise this money with this campaign, Make Fibroids Count, and actually have women who are most affected, participate in the solution we long to find.'

She concluded, 'By sharing our stories that's how we actually make this issue unavoidable, so that we are no longer neglecting it and we're dealing with it head on.'