Drew Barrymore has discussed undergoing breast reduction surgery at 17 during a recent episode of her talk show.
During a discussion about breast cancer and mammograms on The Drew Barrymore Show, the actress, 50, spoke about the surgery.
“What if someone’s had a reduction, like me?” she asked her guest, OBGYN Dr Kameela Phillips.
“What if someone has had implants or enhancements like a lot of people out there? How does any alteration of our bodies also play into the examination process?”
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Dr Phillips answered by suggesting ultrasounds in addition to mammograms when needed.
“So that is where imaging is really important,” she said.
“If your mammogram is unsatisfactory then we will often ask you to get ultrasounds.”
Barrymore said she does “get mammograms and ultrasounds”.
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“Always both, but I also know how fortunate and privileged that is,” she continued.
“And can only continue to implore all of our leaders to please make access universal in this country and around the globe for women, so that we can all have the privilege of being examed [sic] by doctors.”
Barrymore underwent a breast reduction at 17 after feeling “heavy and uncomfortable”.
Barrymore previously told the New York Daily News, ”I really love my body and the way it is right now. There’s something very awkward about women and their breasts because men look at them so much.
“When they’re huge, you become very self-conscious. Your back hurts. You find that whatever you wear, you look heavy in. It’s uncomfortable.”
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Barrymore was joined by co-host Valerie Bertanelli for the discussion, which included Dr Phillips and journalist Allison Hall.
Hall discovered she had breast cancer at the age of 32 while undergoing a “breast cancer risk assessment” test as part of a TV segment for Inside Edition.
She said it was while reporting on actress Olivia Munn’s breast cancer in 2024 that she underwent the assessment and discovered she too was living with the disease.
Her risk assessment was considered “high” and her breast cancer was found via an MRI and a biopsy. It was Stage 0, the earliest possible stage of detection.
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“When I heard that diagnosis I was very upset and I raced home and my husband reminded me through tears this was the best bad news that we couldn’t have gotten,” she explained.
“Stage 0 is the point of early detection.”
Barrymore underwent an on-air mammogram in October 2024. 
Three decades ago, she was Hollywood’s leading child star
“I’ve never done a mammogram in heels. This is, this is different,” Barrymore said as she was positioned at the mammogram unit.
She previously spoke about “fear of getting bad news” as the reason some women delay mammograms.
“I do think that we all play a very negative mental tennis game in our head about our health,” Barrymore said on the show.
“I don’t know about you, but I self-diagnose all day long and the results are horrible, and that’s not the way I should be doing it.”
“So I’m trying to take charge and figure this out and I want to take everyone on that journey with me because I’m totally imperfect. I’m just another human walking around with fear of getting bad news,” she continued.
“But I know facing it is everything.”
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