Purist: You’ve shown incredible strength in all that you’ve been through. Thank you for keeping awareness going. Breast cancer incidence rates are rising faster in women under 50 than in older women. What do you think is responsible for that rise?
Olivia Munn: I don’t know what’s causing it, but I do know that early detection can save your life. It saved my life and it saved my mother’s life. All we can do is to be our biggest advocates, push for knowledge.
‘You had a mammogram, an ultrasound, a genetic test, and found no BRCA gene, mutations or any other obvious genetic risk factors for breast cancer. And yet your doctor recommended a lifetime risk assessment test. Why do you think the yield in a mammogram is so low?
Mammograms are extremely successful for a lot of people, but not always for those who have dense breasts. It’s really important when you have dense breasts to get an MRI. Insist on ultrasounds, which are also very good at also detecting, and find out your lifetime risk assessment score.
Let’s talk about the lifetime risk assessment test. It’s a questionnaire. There’s no blood test. At what age should you start doing a risk assessment, and how often should you take it?
My doctor, Dr. Thais Aliabadi, said you start taking it at about 30. Any time there is a change in your health or a relative’s health, take the test again. (Access the lifetime risk assessment test at bcrisktool.cancer.gov.)
What are some breast cancer risk factors to be aware of?
The lifetime risk assessment factors in the age you were when you first had your period. If you had a child after the age of 30, that increases your risk. I learned that we all have cancer cells in our body and they just get activated. It’s really important to think about the things that are going to activate these dormant cancer cells. I try to mitigate the stresses in my life. If people in my life are causing more stress, I remove myself from those situations.
In a single assessment, anything over 20 percent is high risk. When you received your 37.3 percent score, what do you remember about that moment?
I didn’t really grasp it. In fact, I was talking to a friend yesterday about this, and she said 37.3 is not high. I said, 20 percent is high, and mine was almost double that.
You’ve been specific in sharing what happened to your body and the multiple surgeries. The surgeries before the double mastectomy, the hysterectomy, ovaries and fallopian tubes removed. Was that level of sharing and advocacy a conscious choice?
When I was diagnosed, the first thing that I did after telling my family was pick up the phone and search for stories from other women who have battled breast cancer or are currently battling it. I needed to know exactly what I was in for, to know that if I was going to go through this battle, that if I would make it out the other side, I’d be OK. I just kept thinking, the goal is to get back to a life where you don’t have to think about it. I realize now that that doesn’t exist if you have cancer. It’s a life that is always affected by it, and you are always looking over your shoulder a little bit. I knew that I wanted to talk about it in a way that was really direct and open and honest, and also give women hope that we can take steps to move us forward.
You’re not just a wellness warrior. You’re also a mother. Having a toddler must have been very difficult while you were going through this. But you stopped treatment in the middle to do more egg retrieval and in vitro fertilization. What was that like?
We weren’t done growing our family, and I had my son who was just over a year old at this point, and it wasn’t apparent how far things had spread. There was a very strong possibility that I would have to go into a surgically induced menopause. At that point there would be no more options if I hadn’t made embryos or frozen my eggs. We got really lucky because I was able to get two healthy embryos. My daughter Méi Méi is one of them. She’s so vibrant. I was like this little girl.
That’s a credit to you. Another credit to you is a massive spike in women getting their own risk assessments done now. What’s it like knowing your story pushed so many women to act?
When I spoke about it for the first time, I was hoping that I could help women, and there’s no way I could have ever known how widespread it would get, how many women would learn about it and how many lives it would save. I’m filming, but I have my family and then a huge part of my life is about advocating for all women and women’s health, and especially helping early detection with breast cancer. This is the one thing that I really need to be focusing on, outside my family.
Tell me about the legislation you’re working on now.
I’m working with Sen. Mark Kelly on a bill that would help make the standard of care for every doctor to have a lifetime risk assessment test for every woman. When you’d visit a doctor, they’d take your blood pressure, cholesterol, and also your lifetime risk assessment.
How are you reclaiming your body now? What does a wellness routine look like for you?
Once I went through breast cancer, I looked at myself differently. I feel like I softened the edges of my soul, and seeing the scars on my body it was like, OK, this is just this. This is proof that I fought really hard, and that I’m here. I just really try to step away from anything that creates more anxiety and stress.
Are you conscious about negative things in products like face cream, shampoo and things like that?
Yes, 100 percent. I have reduced my skincare to just five things. I drink a lot of water, and I’ve been working on figuring out my supplements. They say that the pharmacy is inside of us, that it’s just about activating the things inside that help. One thing that is really important: I meditate every day. I have a spiritual guide who helps me through meditation. He said something that really stuck with me: If you don’t have 10 minutes a day for yourself, then God help you. I realized I can find 10 minutes. For me right now, it’s about getting up 15 minutes earlier than I normally would have. I also work out with weights. Weight training is the best thing you can do for your body and longevity, and your muscle strength.
You’re shining a light on this. It’s so important.
Well, thank you. I’m happy to survive. I would just really love and appreciate it if money, research and time were put into figuring out how we can truly live our best lives, equivalent to other opportunities out there. Longevity studies have been coming up with so many great solutions and ideas. There just hasn’t been enough attention on women who have gone through hormonal breast cancer.
The plan for that currently is, shut down hormone production in the body. And when you say, “What about replacing the hormones? What about brain fog? What about lethargy? What about risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s?” The answer is, “Nope, this is all you can do.” So then you do what you know to do, which is to work out, weight train, eat healthy, try to sleep as much as possible.
What’s your relationship with the Breast Cancer Alliance, BCA, and why does their work matter to you?
They’re really committed to helping women who are battling breast cancer. They represent hope and strength and truly the power of people coming together to make a difference. Breast cancer affects so many lives, and they have a commitment to supporting patients and families. With BCA, it’s a reminder that no one ever has to face this journey alone.
Your show, Your Friends & Neighbors, is dark and delicious. It’s an escape from the stressors of life. There’s a lot of good in it, too.
It’s a fun show to do.
You’re currently working on Season 3. Your character is so up-front in Season 2. In Season 1, you were marred by so many secrets. What can you say about where the show goes from there?
We ended Season 2 with a cliffhanger, and we start Season 3 right where it ended. You really get to see how secrets as big as this can really destroy friendships, relationships and yourself.
When you look at scripts now, do you look for something different, now that you’ve gone on this journey with breast cancer?
I look for the same things I was looking for before, but I feel that being a mother and going through breast cancer has softened me a lot. For a long time, I played strong characters. Now I’m looking for more vulnerable characters. I’m interested in exploring other feelings that you go through, just by existing. It’s something that I can relate to, something I really want to explore.
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