ABC News Live’s Linsey Davis Shares Diagnosis & Health Update
Linsey Davis is looking to inspire others by opening up about her health struggles.
On the Tuesday, August 12, episode of Good Morning America, Davis revealed that she will soon be “undergoing a major surgery” to remove her uterine fibroids. “For years, I’ve been plagued by fibroids, and until recently, I rarely talked about them, even as they silently shaped parts of my life,” she shared in a pre-taped package. “Fibroids are non-cancerous tumors that grow in the uterus. About five years ago, I had a surgery to have them removed. But they grew back — more of them and bigger.”
Davis explained that she has experienced “painful menstrual cycles, extreme fatigue, and severe bloating” for years, and would power through the pain both on and off the small screen. “But it did give me pause this past March when the fibroids caused my belly to protrude so much on the [Oscars] red carpet, people on Twitter thought I was pregnant,” she added.
According to the ABC World News Tonight weekend anchor, “Uterine fibroids affect roughly 70 percent of all women by the age of 50, but they are three times more common, and often more severe, in Black women. And they typically go undetected until some kind of discomfort begins.”
Davis noted that stars such as Venus Williams and Lupita Nyong’o speaking out about their fibroid diagnoses inspired her to do the same. “I just feel like this is so important,” she told Robin Roberts and Michael Strahan in the GMA studio. “In [the] 25 years I have been reporting, I have never heard so much feedback already, just in the last 24 hours, from women who have said, ‘I’m so glad that you shared this. I have the same thing. I’m trying to figure out what to do. I’m thinking that this might be what my symptoms are.'”
Davis stated that it’s “problematic to normalize abnormal behavior” when it comes to one’s personal health, and said she had toyed with undergoing a second fibroid removal surgery for “a year plus.”
“Ultimately, I’m taking the most drastic measure, but it’s the only way to really make it final,” Davis — who was filling in for George Stephanopoulos — shared. “And I’m still a few years away from menopause, and that’s the only other option. I would’ve just, kind of, have to wait. And so, I’m praying for the best and looking forward to this chapter to being over, to be honest.”
She continued, “If two people, if three people are going to be better as a result of this, it’s worth it. And it’s something that I really did debate. I didn’t want to make this about me or have this be a different story than what it really is intended to be. But ultimately, I just decided that this would be beneficial for other people.”
Good Morning America, Weekdays, 7a/6c, ABC
ABC News Live Prime with Linsey Davis, Weeknights, 7/6c, ABC News Live, Disney+, Hulu, TikTok, ABCNews.com, ABC News Live apps
Conversation11 Comments
Please read the TV Insider Community Guidelines.
Comments are closed on this story.
-
G
I\'m white, not black and I suffered uterine fibroids along with cysts, scar tissue and adhesions from age 25 to 42. I endured 6 major surgeries. One was a laperoscopy and 5 were laperotamies where my Dr\'s used the same incision on my abdomen 5 times,
After having major back surgery in 2004, it was followed by a laperoscopy to remove more fibroids but there were so many and so big I started heavy bleeding within a week of that surgery.
That was when my Dr and I said it was time. I had a full hysterectomy 8 weeks later.
Many of us suffer in silence or only our good friends know but I always thought they were pretty common.
The difference for me was having the incision to open me up as he said he couldn\'t control the bleeding with a scope. I also needed a special surgeon to come in a separate my uterus from my intestines as adhesions had taken over.
Then it was my Dr\'s turn to do the full hysterectomy.
Unfortunately I was told my migraines would stop but they got worse. My back pain also got worse.
It was worth it to stop all my abdominal surgeries.
I\'m 63 now and very thankful for two amazing ob/gyn doctors who stopped all my horrific pain.
But now I\'m faced with 23 plus years of scar tissue and adhesions that need to be removed.
23
-
G
An ortho-bionomist or a osteopathic manipulative therapist (and there are others searchable on line) that specialize in adhesions and scar tissue, they may be able to help.
-
G
I’m so sorry, Any updates about surgery?
-
-
O
I went through have my menstrual cycle for 3 to 4 years straight. Which caused me to wear 2 tampons and a pad daily so I could go to work. I also had an extra change of clothing in the trunk of my care. I was in my late late 30s when my cycles became so severe. My gynecologist a female wasn\'t sympathetic at all at first telling my to suck it up. Then decided to prescribe birth control to stop my cycle to no avail. It wasn\'t until I passed out and was admitted to the hospital for a week and a half with a blood count of 3 and given a blood transfusion did a doctor talk to me about have the uterine embolization procedure that I feel saved my life.
20
-
G
Geez. I’m sorry you went thru that. Your gyno was a bitch. Glad you’re ok.
1
-
-
G
Hysterectomy was my only option. My quality of life improved the day after surgery.
14
-
G
I suffered with fibroids from my mid 30s until I had 14 (the size of oranges - and yes, I too, looked pregnant) removed when I turned 45. I felt immediately better. My doctor left one inside of me because it was in a different place away from the other fibroids AND I was struggling during the surgery. It\'s been 18 years since the surgery and I feel there are more inside of me that have obviously grown. I will begin the process again, maybe, in the next year, but I still feel so much better - even now. It\'s an unfortunate dilemma especially for those of us that have wanted children. I still believe that these fibroids are the result of poor diet and nutrition.
4
-
P
I had that and was a couple of years away from menopause and was not going to have children, so I chose to have everything taken out because of the risk of recurrence. I have never regretted that choice.
4
-
C
I had fibroids back in the 90s. Prevented me from completing a pregnancy three times until I needed a hysterectomy. It was bad. They were embedded in my uterus and one even attached to my appendix. My best wishes to you Miss Lindsay. I hope they don\'t return this time. We women go thru alot but we\'re strong.
4
-
D
I suffered with fibroids and had a uterine artery embolization at 39 which gave me relief for many years but eventually they grew back. I never had any children so it was hard but I made the tough decision to have a hysterectomy 3 years ago at 48. It was the best decision for me. Linzy thanks for sharing with us. I don’t think we talk enough about our health problems as women.
2
-
B
I had fibroids , suffered really heavy bleeding ,ended up having that out-patient ablation surgery since I was close to mennapause my period never returned , All bleeding stopped.Yayy.wish you the best.
2
Watchlist Easy access to only the shows you care about — all in one simple place
Alerts Only important notifications — when a show is returning, when it becomes available to stream, and more.
Special Offers Exclusive products we release related to your favorite shows and streaming services