‘Woman with issue of blood,’ How my 12-year battle with fibroids inspired founding of MyGynae Issues Foundation – Oyinkan Osisanya

By Oluwadamilare Emmanuel On Oct 5, 2025

Founder of MyGynae Issues Foundation (a not-for-profit organisation advocating for women’s reproductive health), Oyinkan Osisanya has revealed how her 12-year long battle with uterine fibroids inspired her to establish the foundation.

According to Wikipedia, fibroid is a noncancerous (benign) growth of muscle and connective tissue that can develop in or on the uterus. While many women have fibroids without any symptoms, they can cause symptoms such as heavy or painful periods, pelvic pressure or pain, and frequent urination.

Osisanya who often likened her case to that of the biblical woman with the issue of blood who got healed upon touching the hem of the garment of Jesus Christ detailed her battle with the ailment at the 2025 Gynecological Health Summit held on Saturday, September 27 at Victoria lsland in Lagos. The summit was organised by Osisanya’s Foundation.

Host of 2025 Gynecological Health Summit and founder of My Gynae Issues Foundation, Oyinka Osisanya with one of the panelists, Dr. Hammed Ninalowo, a double boarded Diagnostic and Vascular/Interventional Radiologist at the Summit held on Saturday, September 27 at Victoria lsland in Lagos

“I sometimes feel like I am qualified to liken myself to the woman who the Bible in Luke 8:43-48 describes as the woman with the issue of blood. She was one whose name was unknown, rather, she was defined by her condition.

“Of course, there was a huge difference between my story and that of the woman with the issue of blood. I do not know the cause of her condition; all we know is that she bled every day continuously for 12 years. However, she had the determination of a survivour. In my case, I had fibroids which caused me excessive/heavy bleeding a few days every month for about 12 years; but unlike the woman with the issue of blood, I did not bleed everyday.

“Can you imagine this woman’s plight. Her ordeal was quite pathetic. The Bible said she spent all she had, visiting many physicians yet she didn’t find a cure for her ailment.

“She must have been ostracized because of her condition. She may have lost her friends/family. Clearly, there would have been no sexual intimacy with her husband if she was married. Also, because it happened in the time of Jesus Christ, we know that she lived in the era of the old testament. This means, she would not have been allowed into Church because of her bleeding. At the time, women who had a period were considered unclean during their periods. This means that she must have lacked spiritual mentorship and fellowship. If she could not go to Church, how did she strengthen her Christian faith?

How do you think this woman coped? She was a real survivor. She meditated with strong belief in her heart that if she could touch the hem of Jesus’ garment, she would be made whole. Thank God for the healing Jesus who eventually set her free from her affliction! This is my story and I share it, so that other women do not have to go through what I went through,” she said.

A three time fibroid survivour, Osisanya suffered the debilitating effects of having multiple uterine fibroids for 12 years. Her symptoms were extreme and severe; including heavy menstrual bleeding, a distended stomach/bulky cavity, pelvic pain, frequent urination, severe anemia, often requiring a blood transfusion; to name a few.

In a tell-it-all mode at one of the panel sessions at the summit, Osisanya revealed how she was actively involved in her treatment and didn’t hesitate to change doctors and drugs when she deemed fit.

“Shortly after I had my 2nd open myomectomy surgery, to remove Uterine Fibroids, I realized that the treatment method which both of my doctors had used was not at all sustainable.

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“I had been placed on an injection in the family of the Gnrh Analogue medication (Zoladex/Lupron injection). The aim of the injection was to shrink the fibroid tumors. After three injections, I noticed that my stomach became very flat, thereby giving me a false belief that the fibroids had disappeared, but the excitement was soon short-lived. As soon as I stopped taking the injections, the fibroids which had been successfully shrunk would then grow back to their original size. The Doctors still scheduled me for surgery despite my seemingly flat stomach and extracted mostly the big/visible fibroids.

“At the time of surgery, some of the fibroids were either too tiny to be noticed; they were negligible, because of their small size. The disadvantage of leaving some tiny fibroids behind was that they potentially grew back to the original size which they were before the drug was administered. This was what happened to me. After a successful surgery, the Doctor closed me up and sent me home only for the fibroids to grow back within 6 weeks post surgery.

“This experience was quite painful. I also recall having a regrowth of fibroids after an incidence of self medication with the drug clomid. In my opinion, the fibroids grew because I took the drug without the supervision of my Gynaecologist. The leaflet made reference to the need for a gynae doctor’s supervision, especially for anyone who had a history with fibroids. I share this point in order to highlight the dangers of self medication. Apparently, the drug is capable of fueling fibroid growth and like I mentioned, this point was stated in the leaflet contained in the medication, which I dismissed. I thought: what were the odds that I would experience that effect?!

“After this particular experience, I realized that it was extremely expedient that I got actively involved in my own care. I decided that I would have a good understanding of the condition which had plagued me for so long. I was no longer willing to be the Doctor’s Guinea pig. I could not bear to be their experimental one so started researching on fibroids to understand the trend of its regrowth. I also put an ear out to find the most experienced fibroid specialist as I only wanted the best hands to look after me. I encourage everyone out there, do not choose a doctor at random, rather, research and due diligence should be employed to find a qualified doctor.

Once I found my doctor, (I chose a Nigerian Doctor who was trained in the UK, but practices in Nigeria. I think that the fact that a Doctor has seen many women with large fibroids is a prerequisite for understanding the dynamics of the condition. Please note that doctors who practice medicine in African countries are better with treating fibroids as they tend to see and treat more indigenous women who present with fibroids. They have this advantage over Doctors who practice in other parts of the World, especially in the West. We know that women of black origin are more likely to have and grow bigger/multiple fibroids,” Osisanya narrated.

After a 3rd open myomectomy to remove fibroids from her womb, (this was her 4th major surgery within 10 years), Osisanya became free of multiple Uterine Fibroids in November 2018.

Osisanya noted that her personal fibroid experience inspired the founding of MyGynae Issue Founding in July 2020. According to her, setting up the Foundation allows her to easily hold open discussions on this topical medical issue, providing a patient’s view, and exploring the symptoms, causes and treatment options whilst advocating support for women.

“I am a three-time fibroid survivour. As a result of my experience in dealing with very aggressive fibroids, I developed a penchant for researching into women’s health. I am very passionate about advocating for women’s health matters as well as patients’ rights. I was initially reluctant to talk about my experience. This reluctance was borne out of fear – fear that I would keep growing them, fear that the fibroids may return, especially if they were an ‘affliction’ as this is one myth that is very commonly heard.

“On July 1st, 2020, I birthed My Gynae Issues Foundation – a platform dedicated to Raising Awareness of various Gynaecology Conditions and their Impact on Women’s Health. Some of these conditions include: Uterine Fibroids, PolyCystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS), Endometriosis, Adenomyosis, Pelvic Pain, Pelvic Inflammation, Dysmenorrhea, Pre-menstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD), Pre-Exacerbation, Period Stigma/Period Poverty, Vesico Vagina Fistula and many more.

“For over 12 years (2005 to 2017), I did not own a single white clothing; not one underwear, towel, bedsheet, or you name it. This was not because I was too lazy to wash my whites; rather, I thought it was just pointless wearing white coloured clothes which oftentimes got soiled with patches of red. No matter how white the fabric was when I purchased it, it soon changed colour. I was constantly seeing red as a result of excessive bleeding during my monthly period that I actually developed a special dislike cum phobia for the colour red.

Thankfully, that era is now over and I now gladly/boldly buy and wear whites even during my periods. I do this without the fear of spilling blood all over the place. I also do not mind wearing red items of clothing, etc. In fact, I own a few white as well as red dresses and I have been rocking them well since I got rid of the horrible fibroids. I am indeed thankful that I can wear white.