To honor Women’s History Month, former Real Housewives of Atlanta star Cynthia Bailey is opening up about her struggle with uterine fibroids in an effort to spread awareness. Fibroids, which are benign tumors that grow in the uterus, disproportionately affect up to 80 percent of Black women by age 50. 

In an interview with People, Bailey, 55, opened up about her symptoms which included heavy bleeding, low sex drive, anemia, and fatigue. As the fibroids grew, her stomach expanded so much that fans thought she was pregnant. On the show, she bravely documented how draining the physical symptoms were to her mental health as well and even strained her then marriage to ex-husband, Peter. Thomas. Thinking back to that time, she remembers being in a ‘dark place’ because she was ‘bleeding to death in a lot of ways.’

When it came to treating her symptoms, Bailey was adamant about not receiving a hysterectomy (removing the uterus). Through her own research, she discovered a treatment called Uterine Fibroid Embolization (UFE) which is minimally invasive and keeps the womb intact.

Bailey filmed the 40-minute procedure, which aired on RHOA, to show how simple and effective it was. Within a few months, she noticed a drastic improvement to her well-being, eradicated symptoms, and the heavy bleeding which was draining her finally stopped. She finally felt like her radiant self again.

In an effort to spread awareness about UFE, Bailey has teamed up with USA Fibroids Center. Ultimately, she wants women to ‘stop suffering in silence’, get tested for fibroids and understand that they have treatment options.