South Africa: Young Women in North West Live With Fibroid Pain As They Wait for Treatment for More Than a Year

What the report says

Health-e, published via AllAfrica, reports that young women in South Africa’s North West province are living with severe fibroid symptoms while waiting long periods for treatment in the public health system. The story focuses on Tiisetso Lekgetho, 25, from Tsetse village outside Mahikeng, who says painful periods and heavy bleeding keep her at home for two or three days a month and make it difficult to seek work or carry out normal activities.

Lekgetho says she was referred to Bophelong Provincial Hospital in October 2025, diagnosed with fibroids in November, and placed on a waiting list for a myomectomy, a procedure to remove the growths while keeping the uterus. Her surgery was first expected earlier in 2026, but it was postponed, and she is now scheduled for 11 November. She says she has mainly received pain medication while waiting and has also turned to traditional remedies, including herbal products bought locally.

The article says her case reflects broader delays at Bophelong Provincial Hospital, where operations had previously been postponed because of staffing shortages in theatre, according to a 2025 report cited by Health-e. The North West health department did not respond to questions about the current backlog or the reasons for the latest delay.

A second woman, 26-year-old student Oemelenna Jabanyane of Mahikeng, told Health-e that she was diagnosed with fibroids last year and has chosen private surgery because of concerns about public-sector delays. The report underscores how delayed treatment can affect work, study, daily function and mental well-being, especially for women with persistent menstrual pain and heavy bleeding.