Marsai Martin recently opened up about her experience of suffering from “debilitating pain” caused by a massive ovarian cyst in an op-ed for Women’s Health. She first revealed her silent battle in a candid Instagram Live conversation from December 2022. She took to the platform following her decision to remove the cyst surgically.
“I wanted to share my experience so that other women wouldn’t suffer in silence,” Martin, 18, wrote. She’d been diagnosed at age 14 and prior to the diagnosis, she assumed “the crippling period pain and severe nausea” she dealt with during her monthly cycle was normal.
She continued, “I was scared after receiving my diagnosis. As a young Black woman, I wanted to hear from women who looked like me that I was going to be okay […] Eventually, I came to realize that I could be that voice for people and fill that void. That’s why I spoke out on Instagram.”
Her cyst was compared to the size of a “small grapefruit” that was “9.5 centimeters in diameter.”
When the cyst was discovered, the Black-ish star was told “it would likely be absorbed, dissolve, or resolve itself,” but it never did. As opposed to managing the pain with birth control pills, Martin opted for a laparoscopic surgical removal in December of last year. After a week-and-a-half recovery, she was back to normal and now, her cycles are “way better.”
“I hope my story will encourage other women to not accept a life of pain, to get a second opinion,” she added. “Pain is not normal. I want other women to talk about their pain, and to keep speaking out until they’re taken seriously. And to the women out there suffering silently right now: You owe it to yourself to speak up.”
It was just announced on Wednesday (April 12) that Martin will host the summit portion of Mary J. Blige’s Strength Of A Woman Festival & Summit this May.