Every month, Venus Williams experienced grueling symptoms with her periods. As her menstrual cramps intensified and the nausea heightened, she often found herself \u201chugging the toilet, waiting for this to pass.\u201d As she grappled with the discomfort, doctors often dismissed her period symptoms as \u201cnormal.\u201d
\n
\n\u201cIt just got too bad, and I couldn\u2019t handle it,\u201d the seven-time tennis Grand Slam champion said in an exclusive TODAY interview aired July 3. \u201c(I started) taking something a lot stronger that was prescription, which is not ideal because it\u2019s hard to train on that or be in your right mind.\u201d<\/p>\n
While Williams, now 45, knew she had fibroids, doctors never shared how large they were or explained they were related to her intense pain, nausea and persistent anemia from heavy periods. For years, she suffered through it all while trying to maintain her status as an elite tennis player. She’s sharing her story for the first time to raise awareness of fibroids.
\n\u201cI\u2019m sharing now because I was outraged that I didn\u2019t know this was possible. I didn\u2019t know what was wrong with me,\u201d she said. \u201cNo one should have to go through this.\u201d<\/p>\n
As an adolescent, Williams experienced heavy bleeding during her periods.
\n\u201cAs bad as things were for me, crazy amounts of bleeding like you couldn\u2019t imagine, lots of pain where you have to take prescription painkillers \u2026 my doctors told me it was normal,\u201d she said. \u201cI never realized (anything) was wrong.\u201d
\nThroughout her career, her excessive bleeding and pain impacted her. When she went for anti-doping tests, they often flagged Williams as being anemic. At first, she attributed it to her Sjogren\u2019s syndrome, an autoimmune condition characterized by dry eyes and mouth along with muscle pain, fatigue and trouble swallowing, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
\n\u201cI thought maybe it was autoimmune anemia,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was what I was dealing with inside, which was fibroids and something else I had never heard of, which is adenomyosis.\u201d
\nFibroids, noncancerous growths that invade the uterus, are incredibly common \u2014 impacting 70% of white women and 80% of Black women before they turn 50. Fibroids cause extreme menstrual cramps, heavy periods, GI issues and bloating. Adenomyosis occurs when tissue like the lining of the uterus invades the uterine walls and causes pain, heavy bleeding and irregular periods.<\/p>\n
Williams bled so much during her periods that she often wore layers. That way, if it seeped through one set of clothes, people might not notice. Sometimes, she woke to see blood on her sheets. Her cramps were so intense that she often threw up or couldn\u2019t peel herself off the ground.
\nDuring training at Wimbledon in 2016, the pain was all-consuming, and she became so sick she couldn\u2019t eat. She took pills to ease the cramping, but on an empty stomach it made her feel \u201cso out of it.\u201d
\n\u201cWe had a doubles final to play next, and I was just lying on the floor in the locker room, like, \u2018It\u2019s gonna pass. It\u2019s gonna pass,\u2019\u201d she recalled. \u201cThank God Serena got the doctor, and they gave me something. And I was able to get up and eat and start playing \u2014 bad luck for the opponents.\u201d
\nThis marked a decline in her health, where it seemed like every month, the pain, bleeding and nausea became more intense and tougher to manage. Still, her doctors never connected her symptoms to fibroids.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know my issues were (because of) fibroids, but I was always going to play, even if it was a nightmare performance,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI did not wave the white flag. It is not a thing for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She tried pain pills and patches along with a medication to stop the bleeding. Still, her symptoms intensified. Eventually, she had to undergo iron infusions because her anemia became so severe. When she was around 37, her doctor told her that her symptoms were \u201cpart of aging\u201d without mentioning the fibroids. While doctors monitored her fibroids with ultrasounds, they never shared information about them with Williams.
\n\u201cI didn\u2019t know that they were really big,\u201d Williams said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know that they were growing and growing and growing.\u201d
\nAnother doctor joked that her symptoms were \u201cnatural birth control.\u201d
\n\u201cI had no idea what that meant. No one explained it to me,\u201d she said. \u201cLooking back, that\u2019s not funny at all to take away someone\u2019s opportunity to have a child or create a family if they want to. It\u2019s not a joke.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years, doctors mentioned that a hysterectomy could help, but Williams was unsure she wanted to pursue such a dramatic procedure.
\n\u201cI\u2019m a career girl. I was trying to play tennis,\u201d she said. \u201cI wasn\u2019t trying to have too many kids, but like you never want those choices taken away \u2014 the feeling of that is really a nightmare.\u201d
\nLiving with fibroids influenced Williams\u2019 ability to perform at her best.
\n\u201cFibroids impacted my career,\u201d she said. \u201cI never had enough energy most times to play a real match the way I wanted to, and, of course, it affected my results.\u201d<\/p>\n
While scrolling on social media last summer, Williams saw a post about fibroids that said \u201cyou don\u2019t have to live like this.\u201d It was the first time she realized her experience wasn\u2019t the norm for women.
\n\u201cI got so excited,\u201d she says. \u201cI just dived into the research all that weekend.\u201d
\nThen she saw an ad about a center that offered treatment for fibroids, and she was intrigued.
\n\u201cI thought, \u2018This is great,\u2019 but I want to go to a place where I feel like I can get expert care,\u201d she said. \u201cI started researching places.\u201d
\nAfter a few sleepless nights, she found NYU Langone Health Center for Fibroid Care led by Dr. Taraneh Shirazian.
\n\u201cIt looked very comprehensive,\u201d Williams said. \u201cThis was a real center with real doctors that had treatments that covered everything from nutrition to fertility to intervention, all sorts of things you would need.\u201d
\nShirazian said that Williams\u2019 story is all too common.
\n\u201cWomen do not get the care that they need for fibroid disease. To me, that\u2019s the part that we should all be thinking about. World-class athlete, superstar. Has access to every doctor, every facility, every option,\u201d she said. \u201cShe went to so many other people before she got care.\u201d<\/p>\n
Shirazian recommended a myomectomy, a procedure that removes the fibroids from the uterus. When she first suggested it to Williams, though, Williams balked at the idea.
\n\u201cWhen she came to see me, she told me, \u2018I\u2019ve seen a dozen other doctors. No one has recommended surgery. Why are you recommending surgery?\u201d Shirazian recalled. \u201cI said, \u2018Well, because I know it will make you better.\u2019\u201d
\nAfter being dismissed for so long, Williams was still wary.
\n\u201cI thought, \u2018Is she telling me what I want to hear, or are those other people right?’\u201d she said. \u201cThe procedure I would need was more invasive than I had imagined and I just remember thinking, \u2018Wow, so scared.\u2019\u201d
\nUltimately, she decided to undergo the myomectomy, and Shirazian removed the fibroids and the adenomyosis in Williams\u2019 uterus without taking out her uterus. Since then, Williams\u2019 quality of life has improved. She no longer needs to carry stashes of pain killers and tampons, for example.<\/p>\n
By sharing her story, she hopes that she helps others receive better care.
\n\u201cHopefully someone will see this interview and say, \u2018I can get help. I don\u2019t have to live this way,\u2019\u201d Williams said. \u201cI\u2019m very passionate about this at this point in time because I know that other people can live better than what I lived.\u201d<\/p>\n
Q: What are fibroids?
\nA: Fibroids are noncancerous growths that invade the uterus, causing extreme menstrual cramps, heavy periods, GI issues, and bloating.
\nQ: How common are fibroids?
\nA: Fibroids are incredibly common, impacting 70% of white women and 80% of Black women before they turn 50.
\nQ: What is adenomyosis?
\nA: Adenomyosis occurs when tissue like the lining of the uterus invades the uterine walls, causing pain, heavy bleeding, and irregular periods.
\nQ: How did Venus Williams\u2019 experience with fibroids impact her career?
\nA: Living with fibroids influenced Williams\u2019 ability to perform at her best, impacting her energy levels and overall results.
\nQ: What treatment did Venus Williams undergo to address her fibroids?
\nA: Williams underwent a myomectomy, a procedure that removes the fibroids from the uterus, which was performed by Dr. Taraneh Shirazian at NYU Langone Health Center for Fibroid Care.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Introduction to Fibroids Every month, Venus Williams experienced grueling symptoms with her periods. As her menstrual cramps intensified and the nausea heightened, she often found herself \u201chugging the toilet, waiting for this to pass.\u201d As she grappled with the discomfort, doctors often dismissed her period symptoms as \u201cnormal.\u201d \u201cIt just got too bad, and I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23779,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-23778","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-health"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcchicago.com\/2025\/07\/GettyImages-2213637970.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&crop=29px%2C44px%2C4971px%2C2793px&resize=1200%2C675&w=1200&resize=1200,675&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23778"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23778"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23778\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23780,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23778\/revisions\/23780"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23779"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23778"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23778"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/chicago\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23778"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}