Oscar-winning Kenyan actress Lupita Nyong'o on Tuesday, July 15, joined six female lawmakers in the United States to advocate for a package of congressional bills on uterine fibroids.

Uterine Fibroids are noncancerous tumours that grow in the wall of the uterus, mostly during the childbearing years. While many women with fibroids experience no symptoms, others can have heavy or prolonged menstrual periods, pelvic pain, or frequent urination. 

Taking to social media to make the announcement, Lupita revealed that this step was one of many she would be taking towards spreading awareness against the condition, which she said she has been suffering from for over a decade.

This action is also set to expand funding for research to increase early detection and interventions for uterine fibroids, and study their causes as well.

Actor Lupita Nyong'o during the 'Black Panther Premiere on November 4, 2022

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Lupita Nyong'o

"Today, I joined Congresswomen Shontel Brown, Yvette D Clarke, Bonnie Watson Coleman, Robin Kelly, and Senators Angela Alsobrooks and Lisa Blunt Rochester in Washington DC to introduce a package of uterine fibroid Congressional bills," Lupita stated.

"These bills would expand research funding, increase early detection and interventions for uterine fibroids, study the causes of uterine cancer, and increase public awareness."

In a subsequent post, Senator Alsobrooks revealed that the lawmakers, alongside Lupita, were fighting to pass the U-FIGHT Act and invest in fibroid research as a result.

In a series of social media posts, Lupita revealed that she was diagnosed with the condition in 2014, the same year she won an Oscar award, and has had 30 surgeries since the diagnosis.

"I asked my doctor if I could do anything to prevent them from recurring. She said: You can't. It's only a matter of time until they grow again," Lupita relayed.

In addition to advocating for these new bills, the actress added that she was working in partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health (FWH) to launch the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Research Grant.

It will seek research proposals to develop minimally invasive or non-invasive treatments for uterine fibroids to reduce symptoms and improve quality of life for the 15 million patients suffering from this chronic condition in the U.S. alone.

Fibroids affect over half of women in the US alone by the time they hit age 50, with 80 per cent of black women affected and 70 per cent of white women affected as well.

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Lupita, Instagram