“I lived in pain for 10 years” – Lydia Forson on battling fibroid

Ghanaian actress Lydia Forson has recounted on X, how she had to deal with fibroid for ten years.

Lydia made this statement while announcing that July is Fibroid Awareness Month.

In the post that seeks to encourage other people going through similar situations, the actress also detailed the pain she went through.

"July is Fibroid Awareness Month. To the women who’ve had to live in constant pain, multiple surgeries, questions about children, if you’re pregnant because of how you look, or the fear that you never will; you’re not alone. I lived in pain for 10 years before I got help," Forson wrote.

"Today I’m grateful that I don’t have to live in so much pain, grateful that no one else will find me on a bathroom floor too paralyzed to move. Grateful that I don’t have to be rushed into an emergency and even more grateful that I’m alive to share my story when some aren’t," she added.

She said the worst part of this journey was not the surgery, because thankfully she had great doctors who took fantastic care of her.

She therefore advised women to run medical checks to ensure that their body is free from the disease.

"My story is a lot more complicated than I’ve shared, and this is just a summary. But to any woman reading this, I do hope you’re inspired to run tests, ask questions about your body, and also not feel so alone with the things you have to live with," she further noted.

July is Fibroid Awareness Month, an initiative created to draw attention to uterine fibroids, a condition that creates challenges for millions of women around the world. Fibroid Awareness Month is also intended to spur additional research and funding for this common but often under-discussed condition.

The estimated prevalence of uterine fibroids among women in Ghana is significant, with studies showing a high occurrence rate. Research conducted in South-Central Ghana revealed that the overall average age at first diagnosis of uterine fibroids was 36.29 years, with the highest frequency of diagnoses falling within the 35-39 age group.

Additionally, a study on clinical presentations and ultrasonographic features of uterine fibroids in Ghanaian adults found that the mean age of patients diagnosed with uterine fibroids was 37.1 years, with most cases occurring in the fourth to fifth decade of life.

These findings highlight the prevalence of uterine fibroids among Ghanaian women, emphasizing the need for further research and interventions to address this common gynecological condition in the region.