Venus Williams, 45, Says Doctors Dismissed This Health Problem for Years
Venus Williams revealed that her doctors dismissed her fibroid symptoms for years before she got proper treatment.
While appearing on the Thursday, July 3, episode of the Today Show, Williams, 45, explained that she experienced extreme symptoms with her periods for years. Her menstrual cramps and nausea got so bad that she often found herself 'hugging the toilet, waiting for this to pass.'
While talking to her doctors about her pain, she said that many of the professionals she spoke to dismissed her discomfort and insisted it was "normal."
'It just got too bad, and I couldn't handle it,' she explained of the pain.
William said she knew that she had fibroids, though doctors never told her how large they were or that they were related to the pain she felt during her periods. She even experienced persistent anemia from heavy periods, which led to repeated iron transfusions.
'I'm sharing now because I was outraged that I didn't know this was possible. I didn't know what was wrong with me,' she said of why she was sharing her experience. 'No one should have to go through this.'
Fibroids are "common growths of the uterus" that "often appear during the years you're usually able to get pregnant and give birth," according to the Mayo Clinic. "Uterine fibroids are not cancer, and they almost never turn into cancer."
Williams explained that she used to experience excessive bleeding and pain during her periods, which would cause her to have low energy. 'I thought maybe it was autoimmune anemia,' she said. 'It was what I was dealing with inside, which was fibroids and something else I had never heard of, which is adenomyosis.'
When she was training for Wimbledon in 2016, the pain got so bad that she couldn't eat.
'We had a doubles final to play next, and I was just lying on the floor in the locker room, like, 'It's gonna pass. It's gonna pass,'' she said. 'Thank God Serena [Williams] got the doctor … and I was able to get up and eat and start playing — bad luck for the opponents.'
As her pain worsened, doctors suggested that she undergo a hysterectomy. However, Williams didn't know if she wanted to have the surgery and that having the choice of naturally carrying a pregnancy "taken away" felt like a "nightmare."
Williams finally found some information about fibroids while scrolling on social media during the summer of 2024. She saw an ad about a center that offered treatment for fibroids, which led her to seek treatment at NYU Langone Health Center for Fibroid Care led by Dr. Taraneh Shirazian.
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Shirazian recommended that Williams undergo a myomectomy, which removes the fibroids from the uterus. While the athlete was initially put off by the idea due to her past of being dismissed by doctors, she ultimately decided to have the surgery. Luckily for Williams, the surgery was a success and she now lives a more comfortable life.
'Hopefully someone will see this interview and say, 'I can get help. I don't have to live this way,'' Williams shared. 'I'm very passionate about this at this point in time because I know that other people can live better than what I lived.'
Venus Williams, 45, Says Doctors Dismissed This Health Problem for Years first appeared on Parade on Jul 3, 2025
This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 3, 2025, where it first appeared.
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