(CNN) Australian advocate Bindi Irwin revealed Wednesday that she underwent surgery to treat endometriosis after a decade-long battle with the condition that affects the uterus.
Irwin co Posts on social media Next to a picture of her in a hospital bed.
“A doctor told me it was just something you deal with as a woman and I gave in completely, trying to work through the pain.”
Irwin’s posts coincided with International Women’s Day and Endometriosis Awareness Month.
Endometriosis is “a condition in which the tissue that normally lines the uterus grows outside the uterus,” according to the US Clinic. National Institutes of Health.
Symptoms can include pelvic pain, heavy bleeding during your periods, and fertility problems.
Irwin, 24, said doctors found 37 wounds, some of which were “very deep and difficult to remove,” but that she was now “on the road to recovery.”
“I share my story with anyone reading this who is calmly dealing with the pain and there are no answers. Let this be your assurance that your pain is real and that you deserve help,” she added.
Anyone with a uterus of childbearing age can suffer from this disease but it is more common among women Women in their 30s and 40s. Reportedly, 1 in 10 of those born in utero have endometriosis Global Health Organization. The disease affects about 190 million women and girls worldwide.
Irwin is a well-known conservationist who starred in “Crikey! It’s the Irwins”, a reality TV show that chronicles her family’s work at the Australia Zoo in Queensland, which is owned by her mother.
She won “Dancing With the Stars” in 2015 and comes from a family of conservationists that includes her father, Steve, the late “Crocodile Hunter” who was killed by a stingray while filming at Jeerat Barrier Reef in 2006.
She gave birth to a daughter, Grace, in March 2021.
“Please be so kind and pause before you ask me (or any woman) when we’re going to have more babies,” Irwin wrote in her letter on Wednesday. “After all that my body has been through, I am so grateful that we have our amazing daughter. She feels like the miracle of our family.”
Soon after her posts were posted, her family took to social media to share their support.
Her husband, Chandler Powell, said, “Seeing how you pushed through pain to care for our family and continue our conservation work while completely suffering from endometriosis is something that will forever inspire me.”
Irwin’s brother Robert added on Instagram: “You never know who suffers in silence, let’s make this a topic we all talk about freely.”
Irwin is the latest in a string of celebrities who have opened up about their endometriosis.
In a Paramount Plus documentary series released last year, comedian Amy Schumer She discussed her decades-long fight With what she called a “lone disease”. Schumer’s uterus was removed in 2021 and she shared a video on her Instagram after the surgery.
comedian Lena Dunham And Actress Padma Lakshmi They were also candid about their experiences with the disease.
