Olivia Munn recently revealed that she had a hysterectomy due to her battle against “aggressive” breast cancer.
The actress sat down with Vogue to discuss her career, health struggles, and future of her family. “Doctors kept telling me I have an aggressive cancer,” she explained. “Aggressive cancers need aggressive treatments.”
In April of 2023, despite clear mammograms and ultrasounds, as well as a negative BRCA test, Olivia was diagnosed with luminal B breast cancer in both breasts. After her OB-GYN calculated her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment score to be 37%, she had an MRI which detected masses. Unfortunately, a biopsy confirmed the cancer.
Olivia mentioned that the news hit especially hard as a mother. “You start thinking about your mortality differently once you have a baby,” she said.
This led to Olivia’s decision to undergo intensive treatment, including four surgeries: a full double mastectomy, a lymph node dissection, reconstructive surgery, and a nipple delay procedure.
“I knew there was cancer happening inside of me, which was already giving me a panic,” Olivia confessed. “And I knew that they were going to take everything out of my breasts, but that was all on the inside. When I realized things were going to change in ways people could see, too, I really realized things were going to be different.”
Olivia Munn Confesses She Had a Hysterectomy During Cancer Battle
Later, Olivia and her doctor agreed it would be best to force her body into menopause since her type of breast cancer feeds off estrogen. So, she began taking the estrogen-suppressing drug Lupron.
However, “The side effects of the medication hit me almost immediately,” she said. “It was next-level, debilitating exhaustion. I would wake up in the morning and almost immediately need to get back into bed.”
As a result, Olivia asked her doctors if there was any other option. It turns out the alternative was a hysterectomy. “I have now had an oophorectomy and hysterectomy,” she revealed. “I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.”
“It was a big decision to make, but it was the best decision for me because I needed to be present for my family,” Munn shared. “I had friends try to cheer me up by saying, ‘Malcolm’s not going to remember this. Don’t worry.’ But I just kept thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to remember this, that I missed all these things.’
“It’s his childhood, but it’s my motherhood, and I don’t want to miss any of these parts if I don’t have to,” she said.