Bindi Irwin, daughter of Australian icon Steve Irwin, has shared her journey with endometriosis following surgery.
Writing on social media, Bindi said she’d been struggling with fatigue, pain and nausea for 10 years.
She said he’d had countless tests, doctors' visits and scans.
“A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman and I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain."
Irwin said following surgery, doctors found 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst, which is a sign of endometriosis.
“Thank you to the doctors and nurses who believed my pain,” she wrote.
“I’m on the road to recovery & the gratitude I feel is overwhelming.”
Bindi also shared an image of her in a hospital bed as her recovery continues.
She said her case was a reminder of the hidden struggles many women are going through.
“Please be gentle and pause before asking me (or any woman) when we'll be having more children."
“After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter."
Bindi also expressed solidarity for the “millions of women” struggling too.
“There's stigma around this awful disease. I'm sharing my story for anyone who reads this and is quietly dealing with pain and no answers.”
Bindi’s brother Robert Irwin also spoke out in support of his sister, writing that he was “so proud”.
“It's been a long battle through a decade of pain, but you are finally on the road to recovery.”
Robert also said his sister’s situation should be a wakeup call, and that men should be “allies for women’s health”.
“Endometriosis is a horrible, crippling disease and too many women endure this in silence or are never even diagnosed."
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