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“Fibroids aren’t something we usually talk about as women, and neither are hysterectomies,” the RHOA star wrote in an essay for Glamour.
Porsha Williams is opening up about her partial hysterectomy after uterine fibroids—and hopes sharing her experience will encourage other women to take control of their health.
“Thank you for all of the love and support today. My heart is so full,” the 45-year-old Real Housewives of Atlanta star wrote on Instagram on September 18. “I just pray that by being brave enough to share my loss, my journey through surgery, and my new quality of life, my story will inspire women to take charge of their health and their bodies.”
Porsha Williams had a fibroid the ‘size of a cantaloupe’
In a recent essay for Glamour, Williams revealed that she underwent an emergency hysterectomy after doctors found 21 fibroids in her uterus. One of the growths was reportedly “the size of a cantaloupe.”
The Bravo star was first diagnosed with fibroids at age 30. They returned after she gave birth to her daughter, Pilar, but Williams initially chose a less-invasive treatment in hopes of preserving her fertility in case she decided to have another child. She continued dealing with heavy periods and migraines, which she believed were symptoms of perimenopause. During a recent medical appointment, however, she learned that her fibroids had returned aggressively. She soon underwent surgery to have her uterus removed, describing the experience as difficult.
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“I woke up after the surgery and thought, A part of me is gone. Fibroids aren’t something we usually talk about as women, and neither are hysterectomies,” she wrote. “There’s a stigma to it, as if you’re somehow less of a woman without your uterus.”
‘RHOA’ star wants to give other women more power over their health
Williams mourned the loss of her ability to carry another child. Over time, though, she recognized that her platform could support women facing similar health challenges—especially Black women, who are more likely than other women to be diagnosed with fibroids.
“I realized speaking up could actually make a difference, maybe helping save a young girl from a myomectomy, a miscarriage, or a hysterectomy of her own,” she wrote. “If I could give even one woman more power to ask questions and speak up in a doctor’s office, I knew I had to talk about it. I’m not ashamed anymore, and I want to use every platform I have.”
Williams shared that same message of advocacy in her Instagram post.
“We can advocate for ourselves and be informed when we walk into these dr offices,” she wrote. “I just wish I had found this community sooner during the years when I felt so alone.”
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