Bindi Irwin reveals long term health battle with endometriosis on International Women's Day
Bindi Irwin is opening up on International Women’s Day about her endometriosis struggle that she’s endured for a decade in an effort to reduce the stigma many women face.
In a frank and candid Instagram post, where we see the famous daughter of the late, great Crocodile Hunter Steve Irwin on a hospital gurney receiving intravenous fluids, she reveals how the doctors didn’t believe her pain for years, and also encourages the public to not badger women about their timeline to have children.
“I battled for a long time wondering if I should share this journey with you in such a public space,” she begins the personal caption. “It came down to the responsibility I feel to share my story for other women who need help.”
“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.”
“A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain.”
After giving a shoutout to a friend who helped her on her journey to healing, she writes, “I decided to undergo surgery for endometriosis. 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 then reveals just how advanced her endo was and how it had manifested in her body. “To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep & difficult to remove, & a chocolate cyst.”
She then gives a shoutout to the endometriosis clinic that treated her, saying, “@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 and friends for their support, she then takes aim at the intrusive questions women can face often from family members and others who demand to know when a woman will have children, and pressure her to do so.
“Please be gentle & pause before asking me (or any woman) when we’ll be having more children.”
She then states her altruistic goal for sharing such personal information: reducing the stigma surrounding endo. “I’m aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story. There’s stigma around this awful disease. I’m sharing my story for anyone who reads this & is quietly dealing with pain & no answers. Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help.”
In 2021, Bindi Irwin gave birth to her daughter Grace Warrior Irwin Powell with husband Chandler Powell.
According to the World Health Organization, endometriosis occurs when the uterine lining grows outside of the uterus. It can cause extreme chronic pain during menstruation, sexual intercourse, and bowel movements, and side effects include chronic pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, fatigue, and sometimes depression, anxiety, and infertility. There is no cure.
Bindi isn’t the first celebrity to open up about her endo journey. In 2020, Lena Dunham penned a powerful essay about her endo struggles and her journey through IVF.
