Lupita Nyong’o is advocating Uterine Health Legislation, this coming after her 11-year-battle with fibroid, revealing she had 30 and underwent surgery.

Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that cause symptoms like heavy bleeding, painful periods, and stomach pain.

While on the roundtable with women of the Congressional Black Caucus on Tuesday, the actress urged lawmakers to fund more research into the condition:

“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman.

“I started talking about my experience privately, and I realized so many women are going through this.

“We’re struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence!”

“Too many of us accept pain as normal. It’s not. We deserve better.” She stated

she shared she was diagnosed with uterine fibroids in 2014, the same year she won an Oscar, leading her to undergo surgery to have 30 non-cancerous tumors removed from her body

In honor of Fibroid Awareness Month, the 42-year-old Black Pantheractress detailed her own personal struggle with the chronic health condition and outlined her plans to help combat the disease both medically and politically moving forward.

“When we reach puberty, we’re taught that periods mean pain, and that pain is simply part of being a woman,” she wrote. “I started talking about my experience privately, and I realized so many women are going through this. We’re struggling alone with something that affects most of us. No more suffering in silence!”

On her instagrm page, she announced: “📣 I’m speaking up about uterine fibroids. This is my story.

“This Fibroid Awareness Month and beyond, I hope my experience will resonate with anyone else who has ever felt dismissed, confused or alone.

“And I hope to seek answers for the far too many women dealing with uterine fibroids (80% of Black women and 70% of white women by age 50!). We deserve better. It’s time to demand it. Silence serves no one!

the actress further revealed steps she intends to take to create awareness as well as help other women going through same fate:

“I joined Congresswomen @repshontel, @repyvetteclarke, @repbonnie, @reprobinkelly and Senators @sen_alsobrooks and @senlbr in Washington DC to introduce a package of uterine fibroid Congressional bills. 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 partnership with the Foundation for Women’s Health, I’m launching the FWH x Lupita Nyong’o Uterine Fibroid Research Grant. @foundationwomenshealth 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. Learn more and get involved at the link in my bio.”

Standing with the Oscar winner are some of the congress women who boldly wrote on social media:

“I’m working with Lupita Nyong‘o and my colleagues to pass the U-FIGHT Act and invest in fibroid research.

“80% of women suffer from fibroids, and Black women are disproportionately impacted.

“But only 8% of research dollars goes to women’s health care. That needs to change.” Senator Angela Alsobrooks

Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman wrote: “This morning I joined Lupita Nyong’o and my colleagues in Congress for an in-depth roundtable discussion on uterine fibroids.

“Despite the fact that a majority of women will suffer from fibroids at some point in their life – women of color especially so – they have gone chronically under-researched.

“We must take action to promote research, treatment and prevention of fibroids.”