Porsha Williams reveals emergency partial hysterectomy after doctors found 21 fibroids

The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star says she initially thought her symptoms were related to perimenopause before doctors discovered 21 uterine fibroids, including one the size of a cantaloupe.

Porsha Williams is opening up about the health scare that forced her to close the door on having another child.

The “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star revealed Friday that she underwent an emergency partial hysterectomy earlier this year after doctors discovered 21 uterine fibroids, including one that had grown to the size of a cantaloupe.

Williams, 45, shared the deeply personal experience during an interview with Gayle King on “CBS Mornings,” explaining that the diagnosis came as she had begun thinking about expanding her family.

“I’ve always fantasized about having a little boy, or maybe a little sister for her,” Williams said of her 7-year-old daughter, Pilar Jhena.

Williams accompanied a friend to an appointment to discuss freezing her eggs and decided to have herself checked while she was there. Because Williams had previously dealt with fibroids, her fertility doctor performed an exam.

“She started looking into doing the exam and she went silent,” Williams recalled. “And I looked at the screen and all I could see was black, and then I started seeing some circular lines. And I was like, ‘Not again. Not again.’”

An MRI revealed Williams had 21 fibroids. She underwent surgery approximately two weeks later.

“It all happened so fast,” Williams told King. “It really didn’t hit me until I woke up in the hospital bed.”

Williams had been experiencing symptoms, including prolonged menstrual bleeding, migraines, severe fatigue, and mood swings, but believed they might be related to perimenopause.

The reality star has been dealing with fibroids since her late 20s. During an earlier pregnancy, Williams said a fibroid continued growing and ultimately contributed to a miscarriage at four months.

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She later underwent procedures aimed at treating the fibroids while preserving her uterus. Years later, Williams welcomed Pilar in 2019, something she now views with an even greater sense of gratitude.

In an essay published by Glamour on Friday, Williams revealed that doctors also discovered endometriosis and another condition involving her uterine lining. Her partial hysterectomy removed her uterus while allowing her to keep her ovaries.

The procedure brought physical relief, but Williams acknowledged the emotional toll of knowing she would no longer be able to carry another child.

“I woke up after the surgery and thought a part of me was gone,” Williams wrote.

Williams said she is sharing her experience in hopes of encouraging other women to pay closer attention to their bodies and advocate for themselves when something feels wrong.

Her story also shines a light on an issue that disproportionately affects Black women. Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths that can cause symptoms including heavy or prolonged menstrual bleeding, pelvic pain, and pressure. Black women are more likely than white women to develop fibroids and more likely to undergo hysterectomies.

For Williams, the experience has also changed the way she looks at the daughter she already has.

“I really was chosen to be her mom,” she wrote of Pilar in the Glamour essay.