Mompreneurs: Talking Fibroids And Fertility With Gessie Thompson

Gessie Thompson turned pain into purpose, transforming her battle with uterine fibroids—which involved multiple surgeries and years of fertility struggles—into a powerful platform for advocacy. On this episode of the Mompreneurs podcast, Thompson shares how she turned her difficult fertility journey into a calling. Her mission: to bridge the Black maternal health gap by educating and empowering women navigating reproductive health issues.

This isn’t just my personal hell, there are literally millions of women around the world dealing with this.
Gessie Thompson, The Detox Now

How fibroids affected her fertility journey

Today, Thompson is widely recognized for her impactful work in women’s reproductive health—but the road to this point was long and painful.

She first discovered she had fibroids while trying to conceive. Despite having no noticeable symptoms, the noncancerous growths in her uterus were interfering with her ability to become pregnant.

“You’re thinking, is it cancer? Am I gonna live? Am I gonna be able to have babies? How is this going to affect my health? And unfortunately there just wasn’t a lot of information out there,” she said. “There was a huge dearth of information.”

Thompson underwent a myomectomy to remove the fibroids. But that surgical procedure marked the start of “my 14 year battle with fibroids.” Complications led to more surgeries, each one requiring a long and “grueling” recovery.

Mompreneurs: Coach Gessie Thompson — Source: Gessie Thompson

After years of battling fibroids, Thompson had her miracle baby

Finally, after multiple fibroid surgeries, Thompson became pregnant—but the journey was far from over. The fibroids had returned, cutting off the blood supply her baby needed to survive. Her doctor advised terminating the pregnancy, but faced with this heartbreaking decision, Thompson chose to hold on to hope.

“This pregnancy had taken us 10 years to achieve at this point,” she said. “I was like, you know what, I’m not giving up on this baby. I am a woman of faith, I believe in miracles, and thank God, because we did deliver a healthy baby at two and a half pounds.”

Her daughter spent a month in the NICU while Thompson herself endured a tough recovery. “But we both made it, thank God.”

She’s now a health activist shedding light on this common condition

Now on the other side of her harrowing experience, Thompson is using her story to offer a resource that would have helped her feel more empowered and less alone in her own journey.

What you’re going through and how you will navigate it will be the solution that touches so many.
Gessie Thompson, The Detox Now

Her calling became “closing the gap around Black maternal health.” As Thompson noted, by age 50, up to 90% of Black women have fibroids.

Part of her work involves promoting good health, nutrition, and lifestyle changes that benefit the body. She emphasized the importance of taking preventive measures to support health and fortify the body against illness.

From lifestyle changes that help shrink fibroids, to minimally-invasive surgical options, “there are just so many things that if we become equipped and empowered, we have choices and options that can support us.”

I was like, all these surgeries and this medicine is not helping me, I need to find other solutions.
Gessie Thompson, The Detox Now

She founded The Detox Now to reach more women

Thompson shared her story on Essence in 2014, which opened her eyes to just how many women could relate. She realized she wasn’t alone. Since then, Thompson has dedicated her platform to women’s health. She founded The Detox Now, a holistic health resource offering herbal supplements, educational content, and a supportive community.

Looking ahead, Thompson is hoping to expand her reach to help more women navigate fibroids, fertility, and overall health. “That, I feel, is going to allow us that megaphone to reach more people with the information that can help empower them to take control of their lives,” she said.

Don’t miss out on the full conversation. Watch or listen to this episode of Mompreneurs below.

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Every week, we celebrate beautiful Black entrepreneurs who are simultaneously amazing business moguls and awesome moms. Join host and New York Times bestselling author Nancy Redd as these mompreneurs share their life stories and inspiring advice.

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Categories: Entrepreneurship