THE U.S. first lady Melania Trump underwent kidney surgery Monday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center near Washington, D.C., according to a statement from her office.

Trump had been experiencing an issue with her kidney that her office described as benign but requiring medical attention.

“This morning, first lady Melania Trump underwent an embolization procedure to treat a benign kidney condition. The procedure was successful, and there were no complications,” the first lady’s communications director, Stephanie Grisham, said in a statement.

President Donald Trump remained in the White House during Melania Trump’s surgery. He tweeted just after 5 p.m. Monday that he was heading to the hospital to visit his wife in Marine One.

Melania Trump turned 48 last month.

The first lady did not move to Washington until six months into the administration, choosing to let their son, Barron, finish the 2017 school year in New York. More recently, Melania Trump has had a more public profile. On April 24, she and the President hosted the first official state dinner of the Trump administration, an event that was planned and executed primarily by the first lady.

She is the first U.S. first lady to undergo such a serious medical procedure while in the White House since Nancy Reagan had a mastectomy in October 1987. Rosalynn Carter underwent surgery to remove a benign lump from her breast in April 1977.

Weeks after Betty Ford became first lady, she was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent a mastectomy in September 1974.  (SD-Agencies)