FKA twigs is opening up about her experience with fibroids.
The English singer-songwriter, 34, revealed in an interview with the Guardian that she had laparoscopic surgery to remove six of the non-cancerous tumors from her uterus in 2018. The abnormal growths develop in or on a woman’s uterus and can cause several abdominal pain and heavy periods, as well as weight gain, frequent urination and pelvic pain.
“When I look at myself and pictures from [that time], I look so unwell. I can just see the hormones in my skin. I was puffy and uncomfortable,” the musician, born Tahliah Debrett Barnett, told the Guardian. “I remember how much pain I was in. It’s weird because I look so much younger now than I did in that period.”
Determining the source of her pain was also a challenge, even though Black women are at a higher risk of developing fibroids than women from other backgrounds. Research has found that more than 80% of Black women will have uterine fibroids by age 50, compared to 70% of white women.
“If loads of people have it, why hadn’t I heard of it? If this is something that’s not a big deal, why is it an actual hell living in my body right now?” twigs said.
With the surgery now behind her, the musician wants to help educate the public about her health journey. However, the process still feels a bit overwhelming.
“I’ve not even been ready to open up because it’s an ongoing journey. I’m constantly learning,” she explained. “I changed my diet for ages. I was so strict.”
The last few years have been particularly exhausting for twigs, who accused ex-boyfriend Shia LaBeouf of sexual battery, assault and infliction of emotional distress in a lawsuit filed in December 2020. After saying it was a “miracle” she got out of the relationship alive, she told CBS This Morning last year about the chronic physical and emotional pain she says LaBeouf inflicted on her during their nearly two years together.
“I think vulnerability is really hot,” twigs told the Guardian of being candid about her personal relationships and health. “Am I supposed to lie about how I’m feeling or what happened today? I don’t have secrets. I’m not ashamed of anything.”
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