Actress and youngest-movie-producer ever, Marsai Martin, is opening up about her health issues.
In an interview with Yahoo Life, the Black-ish star detailed how after the onset of her period at 11, she began to experience intense pain.
She was eventually diagnosed with an ovarian cyst at 14, which she didn’t publicly disclose until four years later in 2022. Seeking out the diagnosis in the first place, she says, took a lot of courage.
“I was so nervous about even knowing what was going on with my body,” she says, reflecting on her younger self. “I was in a space where I didn’t know if I wanted to know that information because of conversations that I had in the past.”
She shared that she waited four years before she underwent a surgical procedure to have the cyst removed.
“Pain is not normal, you know. And that’s something that I thought was normal for such a long time,” she said.
There was ongoing pain that she experienced with her monthly period, on top of nervousness she encountered leading up to the surgery. “The anxiety was so overwhelming,” said Martin. During this time she was tasked with juggling her acting-producing career while making the most of her teenage years.
What she took away from the experience once the surgery was complete was that there was nothing to be afraid of. More important, she was taught to “speak up and use my voice” when it comes to conversations about her own body.
Martin also acknowledged how despite her body changing during her Black-ish career, she received nothing but support. “I was a part of a set for eight years that showed nothing but love and support and no negative energy involving the physical presence of our bodies,” she added.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PCOS is a disorder caused by the body overproducing a male hormone, which may result in the development of cysts, or fluid-filled sacs, on the ovaries.