Tia Mowry wishes the subject of infertility was less of a taboo and more of a topic in public spheres. The Family Reunion star recently told TODAY how she felt ignored when exhibiting symptoms of endometriosis.
“I was not being taken very seriously when it came to my symptoms,” Tia shared. “You know your body more than anyone,” the veteran actress added. “You are the one living with what you’re going through day in and day out. Don’t let anyone tell you that something is not wrong with you.”
Tia Mowry was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2006. The celebrity mom endured abdominal discomfort for years and even battled with infertility before a doctor informed her that drastically changing her diet could help.
“Right away, she knew exactly what it was,” Mowry said of the doctor who immediately diagnosed her. “When she told me that, I couldn’t even pronounce the word,” Tia shared. “It was something that wasn’t talked about, but she told me how she knew was my symptoms. I’m a Black woman, and I was in the age range. I was basically a textbook story.”
Mowry accepted the fact that she was battling with endometriosis. The actress did not understand, however, why other doctors did not recognize the symptoms if she was indeed a textbook case.
“I experienced four or five years of debilitating symptoms,” Tia told TODAY. “Why didn’t the other doctors (I saw) diagnose me if I was a textbook story,” the actress asked.
Part of the reason why other doctors may have missed Tia’s illness is because of the stigma surrounding infertility. “I never heard the word ‘infertility’ growing up. It just wasn’t part of conversations with my family and friends,” Mowry told TODAY.
“We as women growing up, we are just like, ‘OK, I’m going to get married, I’m going to have kids.’ You have your life planned out and it doesn’t always work that way.”
Photo: Tia Mowry/Instagram
