Ini Dima-Okojie: My battle with recurring fibroids

Ini Dima-Okojie, the Nigerian actress, says she felt “heartbroken” when she discovered her fibroids returned after undergoing surgery to remove them in 2020. 

Fibroids are non-cancerous yet abnormal growths that can develop in a woman’s uterus during her childbearing years.

Dima-Okojie was first diagnosed with fibroids in 2017 and underwent surgery in November 2020.

The film star said she publicly discussed her experience to encourage others battling the condition.

Last week, Dima-Okojie revealed that the fibroids have returned three after she had surgeries to remove them.

She disclosed that she is not in a rush to undergo another surgery and wants to take a holistic approach toward shrinking the fibroids.

The actress also announced her intention to fund screenings for 20 women.

In a recent interview on Arise TV, the 34-year-old actress said the symptoms she is experiencing were unlike the first time she discovered she had fibroids, adding that “I thought it was just hormonal imbalance”.

“Fast forward to this year, finding out that the fibroids are back, I was heartbroken. I am not even going to font. Because they would tell you there is a chance it would grow back. I just thought it was like one in (many),” she said.

“So, when I started to get symptoms, I was like ‘no it cannot be’. Then, I was also breaking out, having symptoms I did not experience the first time. So, I was like maybe it was just hormonal imbalance, which that could be a situation as well.

“But, I was eventually forced to check because I was really having symptoms that were breaking out. Like having the physical ones that people can see. I am an actress. I am on TV. So, I go and checked and then I found out that the fibroids are back.”

Studies show fibroids can regrow within a few years in up to 20 out of 100 women.