Olivia Munn has revealed she underwent a hysterectomy, opening up about her journey with breast cancer in an interview with Vogue published Sunday on Mother’s Day.
Munn, 43, had revealed in March that she was diagnosed with luminal B breast cancer in both breasts and underwent a double mastectomy.
Since then, she has completed a round of egg retrieval with the hope to one day continue expanding her family with her partner, comedian John Mulaney, 41.
Munn also revealed in the Vogue interview that she underwent a hysterectomy last month.
It wasn’t an easy decision for Munn, the “Newsroom” actor, but one she made for her 2-year-old son, Malcolm.
“It was a big decision to make, but it was the best decision for me because I needed to be present for my family,” she said. “I had friends try to cheer me up by saying, ‘Malcolm’s not going to remember this. Don’t worry.’
“But I just kept thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to remember this, that I missed all these things,’” she continued. “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.”
Munn’s cancer journey had a surprising start. She took a genetic test that returned negative for the breast cancer gene in April 2023 — as well as clear mammograms and an ultrasound. However, her OB-GYN calculated her breast cancer risk assessment score was 37% and ordered an MRI of her breasts, leading to the discovery of masses.
Soon after, Munn underwent four operations in 10 months: a full double mastectomy, a lymph node dissection, reconstructive surgery and a nipple delay.
“I knew there was cancer happening inside of me, which was already giving me a panic,” Munn said.
After intensive procedures, Munn was placed on Lupron, an estrogen-suppressing drug, which drained her energy.
“The side effects of the medication hit me almost immediately,” she told Vogue. “It was next-level, debilitating exhaustion. I would wake up in the morning and almost immediately need to get back into bed.
“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,” she continued.
So she asked her doctors whether there was an alternative to Lupron, which led to an oophorectomy, a procedure to remove ovaries, and a hysterectomy, which removes the uterus.
“I took out my uterus, fallopian tubes and ovaries,” Munn said, noting the procedures took place last month.
The procedures removed hormones from her body to prevent the cancer from returning — but at the cost of carrying any future children.
Before those procedures, she did one last shot at an egg retrieval at age 42 — her third attempt.
“It’s interesting because my 33-year-old eggs were great. My 39-year-old eggs? None of them worked. As you get older, one month can have great eggs, the other not so much. Clearly, the month we did at 39 was not a good month,” she said.
“After my diagnosis, we decided to try one more round of egg retrievals and hoped it was a good month,” she said. “John and I talked about it a lot and we don’t feel like we’re done growing our family, but didn’t know if I would have to do chemotherapy or radiation,” which could affect her ability to get pregnant.
The latest round worked, and her doctor called saying she and Mulaney had two healthy embryos.
“John and I just started crying. 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,” Munn said.
“This journey has made me realize how grateful I am to have options for not only fighting cancer, but also having more children if we want, because I know a lot of people don’t have those options,” she added.
On Sunday, Mulaney shared a photo of Munn and Malcolm on his Instagram story, writing: “My son has the most incredible mommy and he knows it. It’s the most loving and silliest relationship I’ve ever seen. Happy Mother’s Day, Liv.”
