Lupita Nyong’o marked her 43rd birthday with a message about uterine fibroids, revealing that she has carried 77 tumors over the course of her life and using 77 pieces of fruit to symbolize each one.
In a photo shared on Instagram on March 1, the Academy Award-winning actress held a basket filled with fruit, explaining that each piece represented a fibroid she has endured. Nyong’o first received her diagnosis in 2014 and underwent surgery that same year to remove 23 fibroids. Today, she says she has more than 50 still growing, with the largest about the size of an orange.
“Today is my birthday, and it’s got me feeling reflective. Not about age, but about a different number: 77,” she wrote in her caption. “Over the course of my lifetime, I have carried 77 uterine fibroids: 25 surgically removed, and more than 50 still growing inside me today.”
Nyong’o described years of constant pain and heavy blood loss, sharing that she often suffered in silence. She called her experience common but rarely discussed, noting that millions of women live with fibroids. The noncancerous tumors affect 70 percent of women by age 50. For Black women, the number is even higher, with an estimated 80 percent experiencing fibroids in their lifetime, often earlier and with more severe symptoms.
The actress, known for her roles in “Black Panther,” “12 Years a Slave,” and “Queen of Katwe,” recently spoke about the return of her fibroids during an appearance on “Today,” where she disclosed that one tumor had grown as large as an orange. She also shared MRI images to provide further insight into her condition.
Nyong’o said she broke her silence about fibroids last year and was met with an outpouring of responses from women sharing similar stories. That response led her to launch the #MakeFibroidsCount campaign, aimed at raising funds and awareness for uterine fibroid research.
As part of her birthday message, she encouraged her followers to donate to support research efforts. “So, my birthday wish is a world where no woman has to suffer through fibroids untreated, undertreated, or unheard,” she wrote. “To get there, we need research. And research needs funding.”
