For 176 million women worldwide, endometriosis is a chronic disease that is a painful part of life. Several courageous celebrities have shared their personal stories of struggling with the disease. Their stories are helping raise awareness about endometriosis.
Lena Dunham HBO’s “Girls” star and creator has been very public with her health journey through endometriosis by discussing it in a recent Vogue interview and writing a lengthy description of her experience in Lenny Letter.
Whoopi Goldberg She has known about her endometriosis for a long time and speaks publicly to build awareness after learning many women lacked knowledge of the condition.
Tia Mowry-Hardict Tia was able to conceive and now has a son despite her endometriosis diagnosis after two surgeries and making lifestyle changes.
Julianne Hough Julianne described the pain of endometriosis like “a knife was being stabbed in me,” Julianne had surgery in 2008 after a cyst ruptured on her ovary.
Padma Lakshmi Padma was diagnosed at age 36. She is an outspoken advocate and co-founder of the Endometriosis Foundation of America.
Hillary Clinton The former presidential candidate had trouble conceiving daughter Chelsea due to endometriosis.
Cyndi Lauper The famous musical artist had her rise to fame followed by grave illness and an endometriosis diagnosis. She had son Declyn at age 44.
Jillian Michaels Jillian was told that getting pregnant would be challenging when she was diagnosed with endometriosis at only 28. She became the mom of two in 2012 when she adopted a daughter from Haiti and had a son carried by partner Heidi Rhoades.
Dolly Parton While on a 35-date tour in 1982, Dolly was taken to the hospital for a partial hysterectomy due to endometriosis. She was then told she would not be able to have children.
Daisy Ridley The Star Wars starlet was diagnosed at age 15 and has shared her experiences with endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).
Susan Sarandon After experiencing irregular bleeding and fainting, Susan was told she would have difficulty conceiving. The Hollywood actress overcame the odds and had three children.
Amy Schumer The revered comedienne has been very public with her IVF journey, pregnancy, and everything in-between. Due to her endometriosis, she had to have a C-section to deliver her son, Gene, which took three hours to complete, much longer than usual.
Sources: Endometriosis News, Huffington Post
If you have endometriosis, know that you are not alone. As you can see, endometriosis didn’t stop many of these women from having children and fulfilling their dream of family. Don’t let an endometriosis diagnosis stop you from pursuing your dreams of parenthood.
