I Have Had It — Toke Makinwa Opens Up About Battle With Fibroid

Adoga Stephen
By Adoga Stephen - Editor-In-Chief
2 Min Read

Nigerian media personality Toke Makinwa recently disclosed that she had surgery to remove 13 fibroids from her body.

She revealed this after watching Stephanie Coker‘s documentary “Where the Heck is My Period.”

Makinwa explained that many women in her family have been affected by fibroids, with some having to undergo hysterectomies.

She recalled that as she was growing up, she noticed something was not right because she had a large stomach, irregular periods, and a bulge when lying down.

“PCOS I haven’t had but I’ve had fibroids. Just watching the documentary, there are a lot of similarities between symptoms and the bloating. I remember when I started off in this industry and you had to host shows. I remember I had to wear like two waist cinchers or three waist cinchers because I was so tiny but I had a belly and people would always ask if you’re pregnant. I was tired of people asking “are you pregnant?” and you know how there would be photos on red carpets and it’ll be everywhere and everyone would be talking about the fact that “oh my god, is she pregnant, or what has she eaten?”

“I’ve had cousins who’ve had to take out their wombs. It’s very daunting. It’s one of the most stressful things. I think one of the worst parts of it is bleeding excessively. I mean, I didn’t bleed for a hundred and something days, but I know about you just seeing your period when you’re not expecting it. I know about you sitting somewhere and you get up and someone has to move close to you and say “oh your period”.

“I’m happy Stephanie Coker did this documentary because women can come together and talk about it. It does a lot to your self-esteem. You’re just nervous all the time. The anxiety levels are high. Eventually, when I got surgery, I had 13 fibroids taken out of me. Tiny me, thirteen.”

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Stephen studied Mass Communication at the Lagos State Polytechnic, Ikorodu (now Lagos State University of Science and Technology), where he acquired requisite training for the practice of journalism. He loves the media, and his interest mostly lies in print medium, where his creative writing skill makes him a perfect fit.