In September, Olivia Culpo opened up about her battle with endometriosis. She had tried several different holistic treatments and wanted to raise awareness about endometriosis and its connection to infertility.
Last week, Olivia underwent surgery for her endometriosis. Olivia shared a photo from the hospital. She wrote that she had been misdiagnosed multiple times before finding out why she was having such terribly painful periods and that many doctors invalidated her experience. Olivia said that she will continue to use her platform to raise awareness about this invisible disease that also causes depression. Below is her caption to the Instagram story above.
esterday I had surgery for my endometriosis ❤️ Not a very glamorous post but I felt like I needed to share this to create more awareness around this disease. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue from the uterine lining decides to grow in other random parts of your body, causing pain. This can interfere with fertility and overall health and honestly – happiness. To top things off it is excruciatingly painful but nearly impossible to see through an ultrasound (unless you have endometrioma/chocolate cysts on your ovaries- that’s what I had). I have been in agony for years around my period and I was misdiagnosed countless times by doctors. “Just take Tylenol every day” “ultrasound looks normal,” “ I think you just need to rest more, periods are always uncomfortable for people,” etc. I know a lot of people out there in the Endo community are familiar with these diagnoses which is why I am so passionate about this. Painful periods are not normal!!!
I want to say thank you to @drvilasagar_endosurgeon and the amazing hospital staff at @atriumhealth who took care of me. You guys were literally angels to me and I am so grateful. To anyone out there who has endometriosis, I understand the depression, and overall loneliness that can occur with a condition that is so painful yet so hard to be interpreted by other people outside of the body. It’s hard when chronic pain is not validated and you don’t get an answer or understanding. To my Endo warriors, I will continue to spread more awareness around endometriosis so that your symptoms can be validated. You are not alone and you are so strong !!!!
I am so glad that Olivia is raising awareness around this order. When I was younger I would have excruciatingly painful periods as well. However, I was not suffering from endometriosis. I know a lot of women who do suffer from endometriosis, infertility and fibroids. It is encouraging that more celebrities are speaking about these disorders. Women need to know they are not alone.
I like that Olivia also shared her recovery story through her Instagram stories. She took pre and post surgery photos of her tummy, I assume to show that there is nothing to be afraid of as far as the procedure is concerned. I like that Olivia is using her platform to not only bring awareness to a disorder that 11% of women suffer from but also normalize the conversation around it. I believe that we should pull things that were once in the shadows into the light, and openly discuss those issues. I believe by doing so the more open our society becomes and the less people are isolated by fear and shame.
Good for her, for taking care of herself and giving visibility to the illness. Lots of people, including some doctors, ignore the condition affecting the possibility to be covered by health insurance. I suffer endometriosis and got a surgery years ago.
Fine, but she is really messing with her face, eh? Her lips are twice the size they used to be and cheeks too.
She’s going to feel so much better! I’m happy more women are speaking out about this condition, and more research is being done finally. I had painful periods from the start, and it took 10 years to find someone who believed me and offered the surgery right away. I was told I couldn’t handle pain, I needed to toughen up, I was drug seeking, etc. It’s so frustrating to be a woman sometimes, we aren’t taken seriously, but that’s changing, finally. Women are fed up!
Ive tried many treatments over the last 25 years and honestly the best one for me has been the nuva ring. My periods are so much lighter now, still painful but not nearly as bad. I’ve had two surgeries and tried various birth control pills and the Mirena, my body rejected all of them eventually, hoping this one sticks!
Thank you
I don’t have endometriosis (and yes, good for her for using her platform to educate on this) but I did have v painful periods when I was young. An older girl advised me to start running, that running through the month, not when I was in pain, would help regulate my body better. And it has, with so many other benefits as well. Really any kind of regular aerobic exercise will do, even just a brisk walk 3-4 times/week. I say this in case anyone is struggling, maybe it can help…
Women are so often dismissed by doctors while they are under 50. It spiritually exhausts me to even think about my own personal struggles, let alone attempt to relate them here. I’ll just say I’m grateful someone is using their fame for good in this way.
I’ve never had it as far as I know but I know it’s very painful. I had some pelvic pain after being on a high dose iron supplements for a few years; switched to a lower dose liquid form for iron and the pain went away. (If it hadn’t I would have seen my doctor about it.) And so I always wonder if the types and level of iron in your diet contributes to endometriosis? A lot of foods (cereals) are fortified with iron…
It’s always helpful to see any celebrity talk about endo. My own periods were super painful, to the point where I would pass out but I have never been diagnosed with endo. My sister, however, had it even worse than I did and wasn’t diagnosed with endo until she had been menstruating for almost 20 years!! Every doctor told her the same thing Olivia was told- “all periods are uncomfortable”, “take some Tylenol and use a hot water bottle”, “just part of being a woman”. Finally she found a female gyno who actually listened and finally treated her. And because it went on for so long, irreparable damage has been done. Why can’t doctors believe women and the description of their own pain and suffering?!?