Porsha Williams is opening up about the health battle that ended her hopes of carrying another child.
In a personal essay published by Glamour on Sept. 18, the “Real Housewives of Atlanta” star revealed that she underwent a hysterectomy after doctors discovered numerous fibroids in her uterus. During surgery, they found 21 in total, with the largest measuring the size of a cantaloupe.
Williams, 45, has dealt with fibroids for years, beginning with her first pregnancy at age 30. She learned she had a fibroid the same day she found out she was pregnant.
“The fibroid outgrew that pregnancy, and I ended up having a miscarriage at four months,” she shared.
A year later, Williams underwent a myomectomy, but the fibroids eventually returned while she was pregnant with her daughter, Pilar Jhena McKinley.
This time, the outcome was different.
“She outgrew the large one that returned, fighting through it, which is why she’s my rainbow baby,” Williams said of Pilar. “During my last month of pregnancy, I was on bed rest while the fibroids degenerated. It was painful, but I was so thankful my little miracle baby pushed through.”
Following Pilar’s birth in March 2019, Williams underwent a fibroid embolization in hopes of preserving her fertility. The procedure initially brought relief from heavy periods, headaches and lower back pain.
Years later, her symptoms began returning. Williams experienced heavy periods, frequent headaches, fatigue and increased urination but did not immediately connect them to fibroids.
A visit to a fertility doctor ultimately led to an ultrasound and MRI, which revealed more than 15 large fibroids along with endometriosis and another condition affecting her uterine lining.
Williams asked whether another embolization was possible, but her doctor told her she needed a hysterectomy. She underwent a partial hysterectomy, allowing her to keep her ovaries while removing her uterus.
The news was especially painful because Williams had always imagined having a larger family.
“I always wanted four kids,” she said. “I have three siblings and always pictured a big family of my own.”
After welcoming Pilar, Williams had begun thinking seriously about having another child and believed she had the support and financial stability to do it.
Learning that option was gone brought back some of the grief she experienced after her miscarriage.
“Waking up and grieving the dream of more kids felt close to that same level of devastation,” she shared. “I didn’t want to seem ungrateful, since I do have Pilar, but privately I grieved the possibility of another child.”
The surgery, however, dramatically improved Williams’ health. She later realized the fibroids had contributed to migraines, low iron and other issues she had been living with for years.
“I didn’t have a choice about the hysterectomy, but it saved my life,” Williams said. “My quality of life has improved 100% since.”
The experience has made the reality star even more grateful for Pilar, now 7.
“Now I take snapshots of every single moment with my daughter,” Williams said. “I’m even more present, more grateful, because when I look at her, I see a true miracle.”
She continued, “I’ve always called her my lifesaver, since she gave me my purpose, and now that feels even more true. I really was chosen to be her mom.”
Williams said she did not learn until after Pilar’s birth how disproportionately fibroids affect Black women. She now hopes speaking publicly about her experience will encourage other women to ask questions, advocate for themselves and talk more openly about reproductive health.
“I’m not ashamed anymore, and I want to use every platform I have,” she said.
Williams is considering starting a foundation to help women who cannot afford the appointments and procedures associated with fibroid treatment.
“There’s life after a hysterectomy, after a miscarriage, after any of the hard things we go through as women,” Williams said, “and there’s real power in community.”
