Olivia Munn underwent full hysterectomy amid breast cancer battle: ‘Best decision for me’
Actress Olivia Munn revealed she underwent her fifth major surgery recently amid her battle with breast cancer.
Olivia Munn revealed she underwent a full hysterectomy in April amid her battle with breast cancer.
Speaking to Vogue in a profile published Sunday, she said, “I have now had an oophorectomy and hysterectomy. I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries.”
She dubbed the life-altering decision “the best” one for her as her doctor suggested stopping the production of oestrogen — of which luminal B breast cancer feeds and grows on — from her body to prevent the cancer from returning.
“It was a big decision to make, but it was the best decision for me because I needed to be present for my family,” the 43-year-old told the outlet.
“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.”
This would mark the actress’ fifth surgery in her cancer journey as she previously underwent a full double mastectomy, a lymph node dissection, reconstructive surgery and a nipple delay.
Before her hysterectomy, the mum of one — who welcomed son Malcolm with John Mulaney in November 2021 — was previously taking Lupron to suppress oestrogen in her body.
However, the side effects of the drug kept her bedridden as she explained, “It was next-level, debilitating exhaustion.”
She continued, “I would wake up in the morning and almost immediately need to get back into bed. If you asked Malcolm, ‘Where does daddy work?’ He’d run to his desk, and if you asked him, ‘Where does mummy work?’ He’d point to my bed. It was so sweet. But at the same time, it was breaking my heart because this is his image of me.”
In the interview, Munn also revealed that she froze her eggs for the third time. She had previously done so when she was 33 and 39.
“After my diagnosis, we decided to try one more round of egg retrievals and hoped it was a good month,” she said.
“John and I talked about it a lot and we don’t feel like we’re done growing our family, but didn’t know if I would have to do chemotherapy or radiation.”
In March, Munn announced she had been diagnosed with breast cancer and undergone a double mastectomy.
Despite testing negative for the BRCA gene and getting a clear mammogram at the time, her doctor calculated her Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Score, which was at 37 per cent.
After an MRI, she was diagnosed with luminal B cancer in both breasts, which is an “aggressive, fast moving cancer.”
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Throughout her journey, Munn has been vocal about her gratitude towards her family, friends and Mulaney, 41.
The couple has been together for three years, making their red carpet debut in January.
This article originally appeared in Page Six and was reproduced with permission