Photo credit: CBS News
Porsha Williams said she underwent an emergency partial hysterectomy in May 2026. The Real Housewives of Atlanta alum revealed that doctors discovered 21 uterine fibroids during a routine scan. One fibroid had grown to roughly the size of a cantaloupe.
Williams shared her story in a personal essay for Glamour and during a CBS Mornings appearance on September 18, 2026. She said she had chalked up symptoms like heavy bleeding, fatigue and migraines to early perimenopause. The real cause turned out to be far more serious.
A pregnancy scare led to the diagnosis
Williams learned about the fibroids almost by accident. She had joined a friend at a fertility appointment while considering freezing her own eggs. When she asked to have her own ultrasound done, doctors went silent.
The scan showed the fibroids had returned and multiplied since her last treatment. She was referred to a fertility specialist within days. An MRI and emergency surgery followed within two weeks.
Decades of battling fibroids
This was not Williams’ first encounter with the condition. She was first diagnosed with fibroids in her late 20s while trying to conceive. One fibroid outgrew her pregnancy at four months and led to a miscarriage.
She later had a myomectomy to remove fibroids while keeping her uterus intact. That surgery allowed her to give birth to her daughter, Pilar, in 2019. Williams also underwent a fibroid embolization procedure in the years since.
What the surgery means for her future
A partial hysterectomy removes the upper portion of the uterus while leaving the cervix in place. Williams said her ovaries were preserved during the operation. That choice means she will not enter surgical menopause, though she can no longer carry a pregnancy.
Williams said grieving this loss felt different from grieving her earlier miscarriage. She described feeling a stigma attached to living without a uterus. Speaking publicly, she said, became part of working through that grief.
Raising awareness for other women
Fibroids affect a disproportionate number of Black women, health researchers note. Roughly 80% of Black women will develop fibroids by age 50, compared with about 70% of white women. Black women are also two to three times more likely to need a hysterectomy because of them.
Williams said she hopes her story pushes other women to get screened earlier. Fibroid checks are not part of most standard yearly physicals, she pointed out. She encouraged women in their 30s to raise the topic with their doctors directly.
The Mayo Clinic outlines common fibroid warning signs, including heavy bleeding and pelvic pressure, for anyone concerned about their own symptoms.
Williams remains active across her podcast and Bravo projects, PEOPLE previously reported [internal link: Porsha Williams podcast coverage]. Fans have flooded her social media with support since the news broke
Source: The Breakfast club
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