ABC News anchor Linsey Davis recently opened up about her health journey with uterine fibroids. She got real about it while talking with Tamar Braxton and Cynthia Bailey on The Real. A recent episode of ABC News Live Prime most importantly, it shed light on the day-to-day struggles of thousands of women who face this prevalent but frequently overlooked condition.
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous muscular tumors that grow within the wall of the uterus. According to the U.S. Office on Women’s Health, these benign tumors can impact as many as 80% of women by the time they reach the age of 50. Having suffered for years with debilitating menstrual cramping, exhaustion, and bloating due to fibroids, Davis took a brave step. She ultimately chose a hysterectomy as her treatment path.
Davis explained her travels as exhausting and painful. “I guess I just want to be final. You just want to be finished,” she shared, emphasizing her desire for a resolution to her ongoing health issues. Her testimony illustrated the importance and scope of how fibroids have affected her day-to-day life. “It causes me enough angst and grief, and, you know, planning my day differently, accordingly, that I really feel like I’m ready to be finished with this journey.”
Cynthia Bailey added her perspective, revealing that she was frequently mistaken for being pregnant due to bloating caused by fibroids. “I stayed on the celebrity baby bump alert,” she remarked, humorously noting that she often found herself in situations where others assumed she was expecting due to her condition. Bailey discussed the emotional toll of fibroids, stating, “Not only does it affect you, it affects your family, it affects everybody that’s around you, your kids, everyone.” She recounted her own battle with exhaustion, saying, “I was exhausted all the time. I was always tired and all I did was work.”
Singer Tamar Braxton recently opened up on social media about dealing with chronic pain and fatigue throughout her menstrual periods. It wasn’t until later in her life that she became aware that she had fibroids. Her family history told a different story. She realized that she wasn’t alone, since she found that many women in her family had experienced the same painful fibroid struggles.
One of those voices, Dr. Soyini Hawkins, a gynecologist who recently joined the discussion, brought some important medical details about uterine fibroids to the table. That along, we do know, is in part genetic. There absolutely is a genetic factor for all,” she added, bringing attention to the hereditary ties connected to the disorder. Dr. Hawkins further underscored that Black women have been shown to be more likely to develop fibroids. “And then for us specifically, our melanin blocks vitamin D, and vitamin D is associated with fibroid growth,” she noted.
The panel also discussed the timing of fibroid development. These growths usually get bigger as women get older in their 30’s and 40’s, and they can increase quickly when a woman is pregnant. Davis recalled a previous period when social media lit up with speculation that she was pregnant. The speculation was fueled by her fibroid-related bloating while she was live on air covering the Oscars.
ABC News anchor Linsey Davis reminded everyone of how important it is to raise awareness around uterine fibroids, especially since they’re so common. “I feel like if there is an 80% instance in anyone’s health, it should be a priority,” she stated. Through sharing their stories, Davis, Braxton, and Bailey hope to encourage more women to seek help and understand their bodies better.
