'Hugged Toilet Bowl Between Matches': Venus Williams On Painful Uterine Fibroids
Tennis icon Venus Williams has revealed the hidden struggle she endured for years: living with painful uterine fibroids. The 45-year-old seven-time Grand Slam champion opened up during Fibroid Awareness Month 2025, hoping her experience encourages women to recognize when period symptoms are not normal.
Williams shared that her symptoms began at just 16 years old. She described throwing up from excruciating cramps while competing at the French Open. “I was hugging the toilet bowl between matches,” she told SELF. Yet for decades, doctors dismissed her pain as a normal part of menstruation or simply aging.
What are Fibroids?
Fibroids are non-cancerous growths in or around the uterus, medically called leiomyomas. According to the Archives of Medical Science, they affect up to 30% of women, most commonly in their 30s and 40s. While some women have no symptoms, others experience heavy bleeding, anemia, pelvic pain, and severe cramps.
In Venus’s case, the fibroids led to chronic anemia, causing extreme fatigue. At times, she believed her exhaustion came from Sjogren’s syndrome, an autoimmune disorder she was also diagnosed with. But it was the relentless blood loss every month that drained her energy. “As bad as it was-crazy amounts of bleeding-my doctors kept saying it was fine,” she recalled.
The toll on her career was undeniable. She recounted nearly collapsing during Wimbledon training in 2016, unable to eat or stand before a doubles final. “Serena got the doctor. I just laid there thinking, ‘It’s going to pass.’”
Despite the severity, her fibroids were repeatedly minimized. One doctor even joked they were “natural birth control”—a remark she now says felt dismissive and cruel. By age 37, her fibroids had grown so large that surgery became the only option, yet she was reluctant to have a hysterectomy.
Relief finally came in 2024 when Venus discovered a social media post stating, “You don’t have to live like this.” She connected with Dr. Taraneh Shirazian at NYU Langone Health, who recommended a myomectomy, a surgery that removes fibroids but leaves the uterus intact. Though apprehensive, she went through with the procedure and says her health and energy have dramatically improved.
“I’m passionate about this now because no one should have to accept that kind of pain,” she said. Her story highlights how often women’s reproductive health issues are overlooked.
Venus Williams’s journey is a reminder: severe menstrual symptoms deserve attention, diagnosis, and treatment. By speaking up, she hopes to empower others to advocate for their health and reclaim their quality of life.
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