You’re Not Alone – 7 Celebrities Who’ve Spoken Out About Having Endometriosis

Almost 150,000 women in Ireland suffer from endometriosis – a disorder where the womb lining grows outside the uterus, resulting in chronic pain and painful periods, fatigue, and sometimes infertility.

March is World Endometriosis Awareness month – to remind you that you’re not alone, here are seven celebrities who are also dealing with endo.

Lena Dunham

The Girls creator is probably one of the most high-profile endometriosis sufferers – just last month, she wrote a heartbreaking piece for Vogue about her decision to get a hysterectomy at the age of 31.

Because I worked so had to have my pain acknowledged, there was no time to feel fear or grief… I may have felt choiceless before, but I know I have choices now. Adoption is a thrilling truth I’ll pursue with all my might.

Julianne Hough

The dancer and actress found out she had endo in 2008 after a cyst ruptured in her ovary – she said she had been living in pain for five years before the incident.

“You don’t have to ignore pain,” she said at the time.

[Endometriosis] doesn’t define who you are. In fact, I own it now and I am so glad that I have a voice to be able to help people with it.

Daisy Ridley

Star Wars actress Daisy Ridley revealed she suffered with the disorder on Instagram in 2016, along with Polycistic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS).

She encouraged women to get help if they feel something isn’t quite right: “To any of you who are suffering with anything, go to the doctor… keep on top of how your body is feeling and don’t worry about sounding like a hypochondriac.”

Susan Sarandon

Susan has been dedicated to endometriosis awareness for years now – and says that women should not assume that being constantly in pain is ‘normal’:

It is not a woman’s lot to suffer, even if we’ve been raised that way. It is not OK to miss a part of your life because of pain and excessive bleeding.

Dolly Parton

Yes, even the iconic Dolly Parton has struggled with endo. She had a partial hysterectomy in 1984, when she was 36 – she didn’t speak about the surgery until 2008, when she revealed that she went into a deep depression after discovering she could not have children.

Emma Bunton

Baby Spice was diagnosed in 2004, and had fears that she would not be able to conceive: “I remember the doctor saying at the time, fifty percent of women with endometriosis go on to have children. I thought, only fifty percent? It scared the life out of me.” Happily, she now has two sons, Beau and Tate.

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi, her daughter, and her granddaughters all suffer from endometriosis, and in 2016, she launched a line of cannabis products to help women with severe period pains.

Periods affect your life, affect your productivity. We need to talk about this.

Go on Whoopi!

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• Lena Dunham