Angelina Jolie - I Had a Double Mastectomy

Angelina Jolie has been recovering from a double mastectomy she underwent earlier this year.

Angelina Jolie form “Mr. and Mrs. Smith” star explained in a New York Times op-ed that there wasn’t anything medically pressing that led to the decision, but rather her genetic predisposition to developing breast cancer.

Jolie shared, "My mother fought cancer for almost a decade and died at 56. She held out long enough to meet the first of her grandchildren and to hold them in her arms. But my other children will never have the chance to know her and experience how loving and gracious she was."

"I wanted to write this to tell other women that the decision to have a mastectomy was not easy. But it is one I am very happy that I made. My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent. I can tell my children that they don’t need to fear they will lose me to breast cancer."

Angelina continued, "My own process began on Feb. 2 with a procedure known as a 'nipple delay,' which rules out disease in the breast ducts behind the nipple and draws extra blood flow to the area."

Jolie also noted that she still feels plenty of girl power- "I do not feel any less of a woman. I feel empowered that I made a strong choice that in no way diminishes my femininity."