Endometriosis is an extremely common disease as it affects more than 176 million women worldwide and is most often overlooked by people. It is a disorder where the internal uterus lining, grows outside the uterus. Its symptoms shouldn’t be missed and proper care should be administered to those diagnosed with it. Women need to be more aware and get treated accordingly.

Endometriosis is a complex condition that can affect anyone, even celebrities. In this article, we discuss different celebrities who have suffered and shared their story among the masses to spread awareness about endometriosis and its adverse effects. 

Some famous celebrities living with the disease are as follows:

Padma Lakshmi

The acclaimed Emmy nominated food critic, actor, author, and model had to wait for a solid 23 years before getting a proper diagnosis of endometriosis. She was one of the first celebrities who took a huge step in spreading awareness about this condition. 

Since childhood, she faced extreme pain and completely dreaded the 7 days every month. She founded the Endometriosis Foundation of America in 2009, a year before she birthed her daughter Krishna, whom Padma calls her “miracle baby”, as the chances of her conceiving were extremely low.

Susan Sarandon

She also suffered from excessive pain and even episodes of fainting for a long time before getting diagnosed. As many women do, Sarandon thought that this was a part of being a woman and she went through the week without much ado until she was diagnosed at the age of 36. In spite of the condition, she was lucky enough to conceive 3 children.

Dolly Parton

The country singer, who took the social media by a whirl with her #DollyParton challenge had to undergo a partial hysterectomy because of her endometriosis. She was quoted as saying “Every day I thought, She struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts from not being able to have children.

Whoopi Goldberg

The comedian, actress, and talk show host was lucky to be diagnosed early in life with endometriosis. She got her diagnosis around 40 years back and has since then worked hard to spread awareness. She even co-created a cannabis line to help other women alleviate menstrual pain.

Jillian Michaels

Jillian, popular for the role she played on the Biggest Loser, discovered that she had polycystic ovaries and endometriosis early in her life. Realizing that conceiving a child might be an issue for her, she adopted a daughter in 2012.

Hillary Clinton

Former presidential candidate and former U.S. Secretary of State suffered from endometriosis and as a result faced difficulties in conceiving her only child, Chelsea.

Lena Dunham

Lena had been suffering with the pain caused by endometriosis for a decade after which she decided to opt for a hysterectomy at 31 years of age. Most notably known as the star and creator of the HBO series Girls, Lena had endured 8 surgeries and a myriad of treatments such as pelvic floor therapy, color therapy, massage therapy, acupuncture, pain therapy, etc. She has shared with her fans, that since childhood, it was a dream of her to carry her own child, but she had to take this bold step to save herself from the continual pain.

Emma Bunton

Baby Spice from the Spice Girls was diagnosed with the condition when she was 25. She was told that chances of her conceiving a child were 50:50, which nearly broke her at the time. But she fought on and gave birth to 2 sons.

Bethenny Frankel

She wrote an open letter on the social platform Facebook, “Getting Real About My Health”, where she wrote about her experiences of substantially heavy bleeding, frequent trips to the hospital and surgeries. She gave birth to a daughter in 2010.

Cyndi Lauper

The Grammy-winning singer was diagnosed when she was in her 30s and was reluctant to undergo surgery as she feared it might lower the chances of her conceiving a child. She struggled for years, but finally, after visiting many fertility clinics she was able to give birth to her son, when she was 44-years-old. 

Julianne Hough

This former Dancing With The Stars performer also overlooked her pain as normal cramps and didn’t get a medical opinion till she curled up from abdominal pain in 2008. She underwent two laparoscopic surgeries, removing a cyst in her ovary, her appendix, and also scar tissue found on her bladder & fallopian tubes in the process. 

In 2018, she made the decision to freeze some of her eggs as she feared conceiving naturally might be a problem. 

Tia Mowry

Actress Tia Mowry was diagnosed with endometriosis in her early 20s. Since then she has had 2 surgeries and has had to follow a special, anti-inflammatory diet to control her symptoms. Even after struggling for a long time with fertility issues, she gave birth to a son (in 2011) and a girl (in 2018). 

Monica

Endometriosis caused this singer to have an 8-hour long surgery to remove fibroids, cysts, and even a hernia. What’s surprising is that the singer got to know about her diagnosis, weeks before her surgery when she went to the hospital to seek treatment for a migraine. 

Halsey

Halsey (25), a Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter has been extremely outspoken about her struggles with endometriosis. She has dealt with multiple miscarriages and extreme pain caused due to her diagnosis. “I’ve donated/raised upwards of $300,000 in the name of research and support [to endometriosis]. I’m not trying to be quirky. Or different. I’m just trying to normalize an under discussed illness.” She also has chosen to freeze her eggs.

Jaime King

Jaime was also one of the women who thought this pain was a part of her life until she got diagnosed with endometriosis. She is a very active contributor to this cause.

Even after keeping herself fit, and on an anti-inflammatory diet, King had to suffer 5 miscarriages before she gave birth to her two children in 2013 and in 2015.