Lifestyle Health 18 Celebrities Who Are Spreading the Word About the Pain of Endometriosis Bindi Irwin, Chrissy Teigen, Emma Roberts and other stars have talked about dealing with endometriosis, showing how common it can be By Julie Mazziotta Julie Mazziotta Twitter Julie Mazziotta is the Sports Editor at PEOPLE, covering everything from the NFL to tennis to Simone Biles and Tom Brady. She was previously an Associate Editor for the Health vertical for six years, and prior to joining PEOPLE worked at Health Magazine. When not covering professional athletes, Julie spends her time as a (very) amateur athlete, training for marathons, long bike trips and hikes. People Editorial Guidelines and Alexandra Schonfeld Alexandra Schonfeld Twitter Digital News Writer, PEOPLE People Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 10, 2023 11:20 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos 01 of 18 Bindi Irwin Bindi Irwin/instagram Irwin revealed in March 2023 that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis and decided to undergo surgery after living with pain for a decade. In her lengthy Instagram post, explaining her journey with the condition, she admitted that at first she wasn't sure about making her experience public but decided to do so in hope of helping other women. "For 10yrs I've struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea. Trying to remain a positive person & hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc," Irwin wrote. "A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain. I didn't find answers until a friend @lesliemosier helped set me on a path of regaining my life. I decided to undergo surgery for endometriosis." She continued, "Going in for surgery was scary but I knew I couldn't live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain," she said. "To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep & difficult to remove, & a chocolate cyst. @seckinmd's first words to me when I was in recovery were, 'How did you live with this much pain?' Validation for years of pain is indescribable." After thanking her family, friends and the healthcare providers who took her pain seriously, she ended with a message to those out there who might have been through similar experiences. "Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help. Keep searching for answers. www.endofound.org." 02 of 18 Anitta Frazer Harrison/Getty Anitta shared her experience with endometriosis through a series of tweets posted in July 2022. "We need to talk about endometriosis," she wrote in Portuguese. "Does anyone here, besides me, suffer from recurrent cystitis and have tried every medicine, technique, laser, botox, etc. to not die of pain 24 hours after a sexual act?" she asked. The "Envolver" singer then recalled that while visiting her father in the hospital as he was undergoing treatment for lung cancer, she began her journey to finding a diagnosis. At the hospital, Anitta said she "told my dear friend angel doctor, who runs everything there, that I'm frequently dying of pain." After running some tests, the doctor disproved the previous diagnosis of cystitis. "The doctor (sent by a guardian angel) did an MRI and there it was. ENDOMETRIOSIS," she said. "The next day she sent me to a specialist to run all the other necessary exams." After calling out people who have made assumptions about her health in the past, she wrote "Endometriosis is very common among women. It has several side effects, different in each body. They can extend to the bladder and cause excruciating pain when urinating. There are several treatments. Mine will have to be surgery." She advised others to seek multiple opinions when it comes to finding an answer to recurring issues: "It's not normal for us to live with this pain forever." 03 of 18 Tara Lipinski Tara Lipinski/Instagram Gold medalist Lipinski also decided to open up about her diagnosis after undergoing surgery for endometriosis. "The irony of my endometriosis diagnosis is that I knew almost nothing about a disorder that affects one in ten women. That's 176 million people. I'd never heard another woman mention 'endo' or the complications and pain that accompany it," she explained in her post to Instagram. "And that definitely shows the lack of information that's out there and the comfort level that affected women have discussing their endometriosis." She shared that she lived with the condition for years, though called herself one of the "lucky ones" as the pain was more "intermittent" and her symptoms were not common. It wasn't until the pain "progressed" that she researched her options and chose surgery. "I had an excision procedure, that uses robotic scissors to cut the endo from the places where it exists," she explained. "My surgery was a success. I had a 'moderate amount of endo' and pretty much 100 percent of it was removed. I feel lucky that my recovery has been mainly pain free. This certainly isn't the case with all women- every case, surgery, and recovery is unique." "Again, I am one of the lucky ones," she added. "After a week or so I began to even forget I had surgery until I'd look down at the battle wounds across my stomach. It felt so good to finally have a diagnosis." 04 of 18 Emma Roberts Frazer Harrison/Getty In an interview with Cosmopolitan in the December 2020 issue, Roberts talked about her pregnancy journey and how she learned she had undiagnosed endometriosis. She told the magazine she had been living with the condition for years and that a doctor suggested she freeze her eggs as a result of it — something she ultimately did. "When I found out about my fertility, I was kind of stunned," she said. "It felt so permanent, and oddly, I felt like I had done something wrong." Despite these initial feelings, Roberts said that speaking with other women opened her up to "a new world of conversation about endometriosis, infertility, miscarriages, fear of having kids." "I was so grateful to find out I was not alone in this," she shared. "I hadn't done anything 'wrong' after all." 05 of 18 Mae Whitman Jamie Mccarthy/Getty The Parenthood actress shared that it took years for her chronic pain to be finally diagnosed as endometriosis. "I remember there was a scene in One Fine Day where there was a lot of running across New York and I got really sick to the point where I couldn't do it," Whitman, who starred alongside George Clooney and Michelle Pfeiffer in the 1996 romantic drama, told PEOPLE. "I couldn't keep moving. I remember that kind of marked the beginning of a journey of a lifetime of stomach aches for me, and a lifetime of problems for me." As she grew up, Whitman said she "tried everything" but couldn't find a solution. "I tried birth control and all the things that they said and my cramps were not normal," says Whitman. "I went to so many doctors over the years. And I would just say, 'What is it?' First they would say period pain is normal. And I was like, 'Okay, I'm barfing into the toilet seven times every single time.' And then they would say, 'Well, you should go on birth control because it could be this weird thing called endometriosis, that we don't really know a lot about and the only thing you can do to fix it, is this really complicated surgery, and even then you usually have to come in like 10 times to get that to work.' And I was like, 'But what is it?' " She said that after ended up in the emergency room, she decided to reach out to her friend Lena Dunham, who had been experiencing similar symptoms (and has also been open about her experience with the condition). After finally finding the answers she'd been searching for, she said she was able to manage her symptoms and eventually opted for surgery. "The day that I got the surgery was the best day of my life," she said. "I'm so much better now, I'm a different person. It's a long journey to recovery. There's still elements of it, and I'll have it forever. It's kind of like my shadow, but now it's like my friendly shadow. It's been a really long journey, but I just hate the fact that there are people out there that are struggling with this, and feel alone, and feel like there's no one else." 06 of 18 Chrissy Teigen Getty In 2021, Teigen opened up about her recovery following endometriosis surgery. "Usually I'm really good after [surgery]," she said at the time "This one's a toughie. My whole belly got numbed. It's gonna be numb for like, a couple days. Couple of the next days, hopefully they'll stay that way." She said that while the recovery was difficult, she was glad to have the tissue cleared out. "It makes it hard, every little cough and stuff. But it is truly still better than the contractions and the pain of endo," she said. To help pass the time, Teigan asked her followers for suggestions. "What is the recovery-difficulty level?" she tweeted. "Like can I make soup after." Padma Lakshmi, who has dealt with endometriosis for more than two decades, shared her own two cents. "Give me a call, dear. I've had five surgeries. I'll tell you all about it," Lakshmi said. "And have John make the soup 💜" 07 of 18 Amy Schumer The I Feel Pretty actress detailed the removal of her uterus and appendix on Instagram in a video taken by husband Chris Fischer as she recovered in the hospital in September 2021. "So, it's the morning after my surgery for endometriosis and my uterus is out," she said to the camera. "The doctor found 30 spots of endometriosis that he removed. He removed my appendix because the endometriosis had attacked it." "There was a lot, a lot of blood in my uterus and I'm, you know, sore and I have some, like, gas pains," Schumer added. She also wrote in the caption, "If you have really painful periods, you may have #endometriosis." Celebs including Padma Lakshmi and Julianne Hough, who've both spoken publicly about their diagnoses, sent the star love via social media. 08 of 18 Olivia Culpo Olivia Culpo/Instagram "I've never publicly said this before but I have endometriosis," the model revealed to fans in an Instagram Story on Aug. 26, 2020. "Aka the most excruciatingly painful cramps/periods. Anyone else reading this have Endo? No fun." Culpo said that instead of undergoing a surgical procedure, she is currently relieving the pain with "lots of heating pads, lots of water and lots of Midol, honestly." She added on her story that "baths are also amazing." The former Miss Universe went on to note how endometriosis can impact fertility, and advocated for women to pay close attention to their periods and to consult their doctors if they are particularly painful. "Painful periods are not normal. You just want to make sure that everything is ok if you did want to get pregnant," she said. "You just never know. You don't want to wait too late, so I want everyone to take that seriously." 09 of 18 Savannah Chrisley The Chrisley Knows Best star opened up about her endometriosis diagnosis on Aug. 17, 2020, sharing on Instagram that she was preparing to undergo her third surgery to address it. "VULNERABLE MOMENT FOR MY LADIES: I haven't talked about this much because honestly...I have struggled BIG TIME. I'm insanely self-conscious and just feel like my body has given up on me," the reality star wrote. "I was diagnosed with Endometriosis when I was 18 and it's been quite the struggle." "The pain at times is unbearable and the toll it takes on my emotional/psychological health is pretty rough at times," she continued. "Tomorrow I have my 3rd surgery. I have found a specialist in Atlanta and he is ONE OF A KIND!" Chrisley updated fans after her surgery, sharing on Instagram that she "had a huge cyst they had to remove" and that they "Found endo in/on my uterus, ovaries, bladder, and surrounding areas. So Dr. Sinervo removed that along with a good bit of scar tissue. He also cut some nerves to help with pain." 10 of 18 Alexa Chung Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Getty The model and fashion designer shared her story on Instagram, posting a photo of her feet in hospital socks and revealing that she underwent laparoscopic surgery to receive her diagnosis. "Endometriosis is a long-term condition where tissue similar to the lining of the womb grows in other places, such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes," Chung wrote. "It can be excruciating. The pain can effect [sic] your mental health, ability to work, relationships, your fertility, the list goes on. The only way to officially diagnose that you have it is by performing a laparoscopy. A year ago I put on these snazzy socks in preparation for my laparoscopic surgery." "Anyway, maybe by raising some #endometriosisawareness I might be able to help someone recognise what they have sooner. 💛 ," she wrote. "PS. Also not funny but sort of is because if you don't laugh you'll cry, this is what the top google answer says: 'It's not clear what causes endometriosis. It may be linked to things like your genes or a problem with your immune system.' Maybe let's get some research going into this women's health issue so it can go from something 'not clear' aka myssssttterrrrious to known about and treatable. :)" she added. 11 of 18 Lena Dunham Nancy Rivera/ACE Pictures/REX/Shutterstock The writer and actress has long shared her struggles with endometriosis, a fight that caused her to lose "all trust in or connection to" her body. Though the pain started with her first period, Dunham didn't get diagnosed until she was filming the first season of Girls at age 25. She says those years in between were difficult to handle. "If my pain had no tangible source, that just meant my mind was more powerful than I was and it didn't want me to be happy, ever," Dunham said in 2015. "I saw myself divided like a black-and-white cookie into neat halves: one bright and ambitious, the other destined to wind up strapped to a gurney and moaning for pain meds." In an essay for the March 2018 issue of Vogue, she revealed that she had her uterus removed in a total hysterectomy, and can no longer carry a child — something she dreamed of since she was little. "I may have felt choiceless before, but I know I have choices now," Dunham wrote. "Soon I'll start exploring whether my ovaries, which remain someplace inside me in that vast cavern of organs and scar tissue, have eggs. (Your brain, unaware that the rest of the apparatus has gone, in theory keeps firing up your eggs every month, to be released and reabsorbed into the cavern.) Adoption is a thrilling truth I'll pursue with all my might." 12 of 18 Julianne Hough Stefanie Keenan/Getty Hough first had endometriosis symptoms at age 15, but the disorder was so under-the-radar at the time that she didn't know something was wrong. "I thought that this was just the kind of pain you have when you're on your period," Hough told PEOPLE. "For years, I was just thinking that was normal and never really talked about it." She finally faced the disorder head-on — and learned what it was — when she had to be rushed to the hospital from the Dancing with the Stars set in 2008. "I found out that I had endometriosis and that I needed to get surgery that week," she says. Now Hough wants women to speak openly about endometriosis. "I don't care about being private about this anymore because I really want the women that are going through debilitating pain to benefit from my story or this campaign." 13 of 18 Padma Lakshmi Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty The Top Chef host also went undiagnosed for years, and Lakshmi says her chronic pain played a huge part in the end of her marriage to Salman Rushdie. With Lakshmi often in too much pain to leave her bed or have sex, the couple were constantly fighting, and she says Rushdie once called her a "bad investment." "Endometriosis was definitely a major reason that my marriage failed and I don't think either of us understood it at the time," Lakshmi told PEOPLE. "I think that's also because I hid it to a certain degree, not intentionally but you know, it's weird to talk about your period all the time. It's like the least sexy thing in the world to do." "I think that Salman took it personally and I think that he felt rejected," she said, "and I can understand that." 14 of 18 Daisy Ridley Gerardo Mora/Getty Ridley got honest with her followers about how much her endometrosis — and the skin problems that come with it — affects her self-esteem. "At 15 I was diagnosed with endometriosis. One laparoscopy, many consultations and 8 years down the line, pain was back (more mild this time!) and my skin was THE WORST," the actress posted on Instagram. "I've tried everything: products, antibiotics, more products, more antibiotics) and all that did was left my body in a bit of a mess. Finally found out I have polycystic ovaries and that's why it's bad. I can safely say feeling so self conscious has left my confidence in tatters." She urged everyone to go to the doctor if something feels off. "To any of you who are suffering with anything, go to a doctor; pay for a specialist; get your hormones tested, get allergy testing; keep on top of how your body is feeling and don't worry about sounding like a hypochondriac," she said. "From your head to the tips of your toes we only have one body, let us all make sure ours our working in tip top condition, and take help if it's needed." 15 of 18 Monica Dog Vision Pictures The singer only discovered in her late 40s that the pain she had been dealing with for years was endometriosis. Thankfully, after an "almost 8 hour" surgery to remove cysts, fibroids and a hernia, she's feeling much better. "I've known something was wrong but I also knew victory & better health would be near again!!" Monica wrote on Instagram two weeks post-op. Her hope is that speaking out will push more women to address any health issues. "My reason for sharing is because we, as women, are built to be warriors and we will ignore something that seems so simple that can be so complex," she told PEOPLE. "Your uterine health is very important. I spoke up about it so people out there who are going through the same thing know that they're not alone." 16 of 18 Tia Mowry-Hardrict John Salangsang/Variety/REX/Shutterstock The Tia Mowry At Home star and cookbook author focuses on eating foods that reduce inflammation, because "endometriosis basically grows from inflammation," she previously told PEOPLE. She fills her diet with "fruits, vegetables, seeds and whole grains," and stays away from processed and packaged foods. Mowry-Hardrict also loves fermented foods. "They are loaded with good bacteria that just keep the gut flora nice and balanced and able to fight off inflammation and free radicals in the body," she said. 17 of 18 Halsey Stefanie Keenan/Getty The singer doubted theirself for years because their debilitating pain went undiagnosed by unconvinced doctors. "I was recently diagnosed after years of suffering and finding myself doubled over backstage in the middle of my sets, or fighting back tears on an airplane, or even being in so much pain I would vomit or faint," Halsey wrote on Twitter in January 2016. "With doctors essentially telling me I was being a big baby about my period, or misdiagnosing PCOS, etc etc. Finding out that I had [endometriosis] was the most bittersweet moment because it meant I wasn't crazy! I wasn't a "baby"! I had every right to be feeling like the world was caving in. But it was terrifying to find out." One year later, they underwent "multiple terrifying surgeries" to ease the pain. "In my recovery I am thinking of all of you and how you give me the strength and stamina to power through and prosper," they wrote. "If you suffer from chronic pain or a debilitating disease please know that I have found time to live a crazy, wild, rewarding life AND balance my treatment and I hope so much in my heart that you can too." 18 of 18 Jaime King David Livingston/Getty The actress decided to share the story of her long struggle with infertility due to endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome to help others. "I was hiding what I was going through for so long, and I hear about so many women going through what I went through," King told PEOPLE. "If I'm open about it, hopefully it won't be so taboo to talk about it." And her endometriosis affected her career, too. "[When] I was diagnosed with endometriosis, I gained 40 pounds because my hormones were so crazy," King told The New York Post. "And it was like, 'Oh, [producers] want to offer you this role, but they want to know why you got fat.' I realized being shamed for gaining weight or being too thin felt the same." On the fertility front, though, she finally got some good news after five miscarriages, five rounds of in vitro fertilization and 26 rounds of intrauterine insemination: King ended up naturally conceiving her son James. "When I got pregnant it was the best thing in the whole world. I had never felt so grateful, happy and elated," King told PEOPLE.