Olivia Munn Reveals She Had Embryos Frozen Before Full Hysterectomy: ‘Best Decision for Me’

Olivia Munn revealed she had her embryos frozen before a full hysterectomy amid her “aggressive” breast cancer battle.

“I have now had an oophorectomy and hysterectomy. I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes, and ovaries,” Olivia, 43, told Vogue in an interview published on Sunday, May 12, noting the procedure happened last month.

The actress said it was a “big decision” to undergo the procedure as she was previously taking estrogen-suppressing drug Lupron, which halted her ovaries from producing estrogen but also simultaneously drained all her energy. She came to the decision after her son, Malcolm, whom she shares with partner John Mulaney, pointed to her bed when asked what his mother did for work.

The hysterectomy surgery, which is a surgical procedure to remove the uterus, was an alternative to the drug, marking her fifth significant surgery in her cancer battle.

“But it was the best decision for me because I needed to be present for my family. I had friends try to cheer me up by saying, ‘Malcolm’s not going to remember this. Don't worry,’” she told the outlet. “But I just kept thinking to myself, ‘I'm going to remember this, that I missed all these things.’ It's his childhood, but it's my motherhood, and I don't want to miss any of these parts if I don't have to.”

The New Girl alum revealed she and John didn’t feel like they “were done growing their family” and underwent a trial of egg retrievals after finding out about her diagnosis in April 2023. Instead of turning to hormones to hyperovulate, which could encourage nascent cancer cells to grow, she was put on a special cancer protocol for the egg retrieval.

“A few hours later, we got the call from my doctor. He shared that we had two healthy embryos. John and I just started crying,” the X-Men actress shared. “It was just so exciting because not only did we get it in one retrieval, but it also meant that I didn't have to keep putting myself at risk. It was just amazing.”

Olivia went public with her cancer diagnosis in March, telling her fans she had an “aggressive” form of bilateral breast cancer. “I went from feeling completely fine one day, to waking up in a hospital bed after a 10-hour surgery the next,” she wrote in a lengthy Instagram post. “I’m lucky. We caught it with enough time that I had options. I want the same for any woman who might have to face this one day.”

While Olivia said she was not someone who was afraid of death “in any way,” the most frightening part was thinking about her son.

“Having a little baby at home made everything much more terrifying,” the Magic Mike star told People in April. “​You realize cancer doesn’t care who you are; it doesn’t care if you have a baby or if you don’t have time. It comes at you, and you have no choice but to face it head-on.”