With ‘period pain’ being a common experience for women since the very beginning of time, finding out there might be more to your pain can be a confusing and difficult time. Endometriosis, or ‘endo’, is both a common and debilitating condition affecting roughly one in every nine women.
Despite the advent of modern medicine, endometriosis stayed under the radar for a long time, with many women not knowing about the condition prior to their diagnosis, which can often take years to get.
But what is endometriosis?
“Endometriosis occurs when the tissue that normally grows inside your uterus (the endometrium) grows outside of the uterus. The tissue can grow on the ovaries, bowels and the pelvic lining,” explains paramedic Eamon Glass.
“Over time the tissue will grow, thicken and eventually break down. However, the tissue becomes trapped within the pelvic cavity which can lead to a number of debilitating symptoms,” he says.
“Every woman’s experience with endometriosis will vary in presentation and severity. Most commonly, we see women experiencing varying types of pelvic pain.
“Pain during intercourse and fertility issues are also seen in some women,” says Eamon.
“Fortunately, management of endometriosis is very good these days … this means that it’s uncommon for an ambulance to be called to this sort of thing,” Eamon tells us.
“When we are called it means that the patient’s own management plan has not worked, and the pain is severe and debilitating.”
The severe pain of endometriosis is something that many Australian women are familiar with, with endometriosis affecting roughly one in nine women.
Here are six Aussie celebrities who have to manage their endometriosis.
Paramedics premieres Wednesday August 11 at 8.40pm on Channel 9.
Emma Watkins
Yellow Wiggle Emma Watkins was diagnosed with stage IV endometriosis in 2017, and has been open about her struggle with the condition in order to remove the stigma around endo.
The performer told NSW Health’s Western Sydney Health Check podcast that although she had had symptoms since high school, it wasn’t until she joined The Wiggles that she was diagnosed.
“It was maybe eight years into the touring and being on the road constantly and filming back-to-back that my periods actually started to run into each other and the bleeding was actually non-stop… I kind of let the touring cover up for the fact that I was very unwell,” she said candidly.
“It was hard for me to find control in my life, or a controlled environment, where I could see if it was me or just a lot of shows.”
Emma underwent surgery for endometriosis in July 2018 and continues to share her journey via social media. She is also an ambassador for Endometriosis Australia.
Erin Barnett
Rising to fame on Love Island and also starring on I’m a Celebrity… Erin Barnett is another celebrity who has been open about her very difficult struggles with endometriosis and poly-cystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS).
The reality star has had 16 surgeries to deal with the combination of issues.
“I had a two kilo cyst, they thought I was pregnant at 14,” she told her fellow contestants on I’m a Celebrity…, where she was competing for prize money to go to Endometriosis Australia, for which she is an ambassador, just like Emma.
“I got my left ovary removed before I came onto the show. I had five surgeries last year,” she revealed.
Erin speaks candidly about how these two conditions will affect her fertility, especially when her ex, Eden Dally, publicly mentioned Erin’s issues.
“Let me get this out here and now: if a woman or a man say they can’t have children, don’t ask why, or worse, ask what’s wrong. The implication that you’re somehow broken is upsetting. Just accept it and move on,” she wrote on social media.
Sophie Dillman
Home and Away actress Sophie Dillman has struggled with endometriosis for a long time, and credits a great support network as her most effective tool in fighting the condition.
“It’s very common to walk around work with a hot water bottle strapped to my stomach all day. Or I may need the entire day at home sleeping,” she told TV WEEK.
“I have a team that I use to manage my pain from doctors, physios, a gynaecologist and a surgical team – and that will be the case for the rest of my life.”
“The disease itself can be so incredibly isolating,” Sophie also told New Idea.
“It can still be a taboo subject – talking about women’s health. So, you do feel alone.
“But there is a major shift happening. All of a sudden, women have found their voice with these issues. And it’s awesome to feel that energy,” she said.
Zoe Marshall
Journalist and podcaster Zoe Marshall has long suffered from endometriosis, and has shared her fears around the disorder leading to infertility.
“I had it removed when it became unbearable about three years ago and it grew back quite quickly. I was adamant not to get the surgery again as it can cause issues including fertility risks, so I just tried to live with the pain,” she wrote on her blog before she became a parent.
In her hopes of becoming pregnant, she tried an ancient diet said to regenerate the organs, balance hormones and cleanse the body of unwanted toxins.
“I ate nothing for two weeks. Not a thing passed my lips,” she told WHO in 2019.
Despite her fears, Zoe became a mother to two kids, Benjamin Fox and Ever J.
Emily Seebohm
Swimmer and Olympic gold-medallist Emily Seebohm has one of the most shocking endometriosis stories of all. She found out about her endometriosis the year she was training for the 2016 Rio Olympics, meaning she had to delay her surgery and suffer through in order to make it to the Olympics.
“I started getting a period almost every two weeks and they would last about nine days, being a swimmer that was pretty tough and it was hard work getting through it,” she explained to Body+Soul.
“When I was diagnosed, my doctor said having kids early is something I should consider because of the chance my endometriosis might affect my fertility,” Emily said.
“For me, my swimming career takes up so much of my time, I didn’t want to finish my career and not have the chance to have a family after that so it’s a really hard pill to swallow…”
“It’s one of those things though that when you first hear about it it’s a shock but now that I’m two years in I’m more comfortable with what will happen in the future.”
Emily is unstoppable, even with endometriosis, and just won one gold medal and one bronze at the Tokyo Olympics.
Bridget Hustwaite
Triple J radio host Bridget Hustwaite was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2018, and has been a vocal advocate for its’ sufferers ever since.
She created the Instagram account @endogram, and has also written a book, How to Endo, for those fighting endometriosis.
As for her personal journey, it took five years in between her first appointment with a GP and her diagnosis.
“I am just SO relieved that we found out what has been causing this after 6 years,” she wrote on Instagram after her first surgery.
You can visit Endometriosis Australia for more information on endometriosis.
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