Olivia Munn has two viable embryos after hysterectomy and removal of ovaries
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Olivia Munn revealed she underwent a hysterectomy and had both ovaries removed in her fight against breast cancer — but with two new viable frozen embryos banked, she says her and her family's future is bright.
Munn's intensive treatment has made it impossible for her and her partner, comedian John Mulaney, to get pregnant again the old-fashioned way. Even so, the couple (who welcomed son Malcolm two years ago) weren't ready to give up on the idea of expanding their family, she told Vogue in an interview published on Mother's Day.
Read more: Olivia Munn says she ‘absolutely broke down’ seeing her body after a double mastectomy
The 42-year-old actress underwent egg retrieval for the third time and through IVF wound up with the embryos.
Munn revealed her luminal B breast cancer diagnosis from a hospital bed in March, saying on social media, "I hope by sharing this it will help others find comfort, inspiration and support on their own journey."
She underwent four surgeries in 10 months, including a double mastectomy, lymph-node dissection, reconstructive surgery and a nipple delay, which saves the nipple from removed breast tissue so Munn wouldn't have to tattoo nipples on her reconstructed chest.
According to the Mayo Clinic, luminal B breast cancer is more aggressive than other forms and feeds on the body's estrogen — which made it necessary for Munn's doctors to induce early menopause.
However, taking an estrogen-suppressing drug, Lupron, to induce menopause left Munn with “next-level, debilitating exhaustion."
Read more: Olivia Munn is in a no-win situation. So she's decided not to 'play the game' at all
"I would wake up in the morning and almost immediately need to get back into bed," she told Vogue. "If you asked Malcolm, ‘Where does Daddy work?’ He'd run to his [Mulaney’s] desk, and if you asked him, ‘Where does Mommy work?’ He'd point to my bed. It was so sweet. But at the same time, it was breaking my heart because this is his image of me."
To avoid a lifetime of sapped strength, Munn elected to have her uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries removed.
"As her guy, I felt both scared and protective," Mulaney told the outlet about Munn's diagnosis and journey. "Even with Malcolm in her lap and me there holding her hand, she was going to be physically fighting this disease alone.”
The American Cancer Society recommends that women ages 45-54 get a mammogram every year in addition to doing regular self-exams. Women can also calculate their breast cancer risk using the same National Cancer Institute tool Munn used.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
