Steve Granitz/FilmMagic
Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Bozoma Saint John recently underwent surgery to take control of her reproductive health.
Speaking to her RHOBH costar Dorit Kemsley on the After Show, the former chief marketing officer of Netflix, 47, revealed that she had multiple fibroids removed, partly in hopes of one day having a child with her boyfriend Keely Watson.
“Fibroid surgery was so, it was a scary thing, because who wants to have surgery?” Saint John said during a conversation with Kemsley, 48.
Bozoma Saint John has a conversation with Dorit Kemsley. NBCUniversal
For the businesswoman, the surgery wasn’t dire, but instead done out of an abundance of caution.
“Honestly, you know, when I had been discussing my fibroids with my doctor, anyway, it wasn’t a life threatening situation where it’s like, ‘Okay, look, if you don’t have it, this is going to happen to you,’ ” Saint John explained.
“I know that there are a lot of women who have very severe symptoms of their fibroids. I wasn’t one of those people. However, they were large, they were growing. And I just felt like, why wait until some other point where I don’t have a choice in order to do it?” she said.
According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Uterine fibroids are a common type of noncancerous tumor that can grow in and on your uterus.” Symptoms include pain and heavy vaginal bleeding.
Depending on the placement of the uterine fibroid, it can sometimes make it difficult or not possible for a woman to carry children.
Fibroids are very common and typically occur in women between 30 and 50 years old. A myomectomy is a surgical procedure that can remove them.
Bozoma Saint John — Inuit Dome on August 15, 2024 in Los Angeles. Rodin Eckenroth/FilmMagic
Saint John told her costar that lately, she and Watson had been discussing having kids, noting that he does not have any, and would like up to three of his own. The Bravo star is already a mom to daughter Lael Saint John, whom she shares with her late husband Peter Saint John.
“And then on top of it, it’s like, again, I’m not getting any younger. If I’m having these conversations with Keely,” she said. “And I truly believe that we have the opportunity to create a bigger family, then why not do it right now?”
She added, “With the fibroids, I have zero chance [at conceiving]. Also, I want a shot. I want a shot at it. So then I gotta choose to do it.”
Kemsley noted that during the process, Saint John discovered she had more fibroids than she originally thought.
“Wasn’t there like 12?” the fashion designer asked.
Saint John replied: “Yes, and one of them was the size of a grapefruit.”
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The businesswoman isn’t the first housewife to open up about her experience with fibroids — both Atlanta’s Cynthia Bailey and New York’s Ubah Hassan have discussed their fibroids on their respective shows.
Black women are more likely to develop fibroids than other races, per the Mayo Clinic.
The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills airs Tuesdays at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.
