Endometriosis is a chronic disease where endometrial tissue grows outside of the uterus. Famous people are not immune to this disease, and there are actually quite a few celebrities with endometriosis. It can be painful, and even cause infertility. Despite the fact that millions of women across the globe are affected by endometriosis, there is still a need for a lot more research on treating and preventing the condition.
Several celebrities have helped to raise awareness by sharing their own experiences. For example, after having surgery to remove her uterus and appendix, Amy Schumer said that her “lifelong pain” associated with endometriosis was gone. Lena Dunham had a hysterectomy at age 31 due to the condition. Some surgeries for this disease focus on removing the endometrial tissue from where it shouldn't be. Top Chef host Padma Lakshmi had five such procedures.
Read on below to learn about the female celebrities who have spoken out about their struggle with getting diagnosed with endometriosis, and how they felt after undergoing surgery for it.
Gabrielle Union struggled to get pregnant due to adenomyosis, a type of endometriosis that involves endometrial tissue growing on the wall of the uterus.
“Towards the end of my fertility journey I finally got some answers, because everyone said, ‘You’re a career woman, you’ve prioritized your career, you waited too long and now you’re just too old to have a kid – and that’s on you for wanting a career.’ The reality is I actually have adenomyosis,” she said at a 2018 event.
Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade (born October 29, 1972) is an American actress, activist, and author. She began her career in the 1990s, appearing on television sitcoms, before landing supporting roles in teenage comedic films She's All That and 10 Things I Hate About You (1999). Her breakthrough role was in the 2000 film Bring It On. In 2019 she joined the hit TV show America's Got Talent as a judge.
Union is also known for her performances in the romantic comedy films The Brothers (2001), Deliver Us from Eva (2003), Daddy's Little Girls (2007), Think Like a Man (2012) and Think Like a Man Too (2014). She also had starring roles in the CBS medical drama series City of Angels (2000) and ...more
Halsey has had multiple surgeries for endometriosis, and they somehow often coincide with the Grammy Awards ceremony.
“As luck would have it, I’m attending [The Grammys] tomorrow for the first time in years, and I had surgery again (you guessed it) 3 days ago. Only posting this to say, if you see me be gentle lol I’m fragile. Fragile but excited :),” they wrote on Instagram in 2022.
Ashley Nicolette Frangipane (born September 29, 1994), known professionally as Halsey, is an American singer and songwriter. Her initial recognition came from her self-released music posted on social media platforms, and in 2014, she was signed by Astralwerks after her song "Ghost" went viral on SoundCloud. Since then, she has released two studio albums, one extended play (EP), 15 singles (three as a featured artist), and four promotional singles. Halsey is noted for her distinctive singing voice. Her music focuses on her personal experiences and telling a story. Her awards and nominations include four Billboard Music Awards, four iHeartRadio Music Awards, one GLAAD Media Award, one Global ...more
Padma Lakshmi has been a vocal advocate for people with endometriosis for years.
“It wasn’t until a year after the surgery that I started getting really pissed,” she said in a 2020 interview with Women's Health. "Like, ‘Wait a minute, I lost a week of my life every month of every year since I was 13 because of this sh*t, and I could have had this operation at 20 rather than 36?’ I’m shocked that a health professional didn’t say, ‘This is weird. Your cramps are above and beyond what they should be.’ ”
Padma Parvati Lakshmi Vaidynathan (born September 1, 1970), known professionally as Padma Lakshmi (Tamil: பத்மா லட்சுமி, pronounced [ˈpəd̪maː ˈləkʃmiː]), is an American author, actress, model, television host, and executive producer. She is the host of the US cooking competition program Top Chef.
She has hosted the show continuously since season 2 (2006), with season 16 (2018) being the latest. For her work, she received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Reality Host in 2009.
She has published three cookbooks and one memoir. She has also ventured into acting in film and television, and hosted several cooking programs before Top Chef. She also launched her own kitchenware line.
In September 2021, Amy Schumer had her uterus and appendix removed after being diagnosed with endometriosis.
"All my lifelong pain explained and lifted out of my body," she said following the surgery. “I am already a changed person. I am busting with joy for the new energy I have to be with my son.”
Amy Beth Schumer (born June 1, 1981) is an American stand-up comedian and actress. She ventured into comedy in the early 2000s before appearing as a contestant on the fifth season of the NBC reality competition series Last Comic Standing in 2007. From 2013 to 2016, she was the creator, co-producer, co-writer, and star of the Comedy Central sketch comedy series Inside Amy Schumer, for which she received a Peabody Award and was nominated for five Primetime Emmy Awards, winning Outstanding Variety Sketch Series in 2015.
Lena Dunham discussed her decision to have a hysterectomy at age 31, after experiencing symptoms of endometriosis for a decade, in a 2018 essay for Vogue.
She wrote in part, “Adoption is a thrilling truth I’ll pursue with all my might. But I wanted that stomach. I wanted to know what nine months of complete togetherness could feel like. I was meant for the job, but I didn’t pass the interview. And that’s OK. It really is. I might not believe it now, but I will soon enough. And all that will be left is my story and my scars, which are already faded enough that they’re hard to find.”
Lena Dunham is an American actress, author, screenwriter, producer, and director. She wrote and directed the independent film Tiny Furniture, and is the creator, writer and star of the HBO series Girls. She has received eight nominations for Emmy Awards as a writer, director, actress and producer and won two Golden Globe Awards for Girls. Dunham is the first woman to win a Directors Guild Award for Outstanding Director in a Comedy Series.
In her late-20s, Emma Roberts learned that she had undiagnosed endometriosis since she was a teenager.
“I started opening up to other women, and all of a sudden, there was a new world of conversation about endometriosis, infertility, miscarriages, fear of having kids. I was so grateful to find out I was not alone in this. I hadn’t done anything ‘wrong’ after all,” she said in a 2020 interview with Elle Magazine.
Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991) is an American actress and singer. After making her film debut as Kristina Jung in the crime film Blow (2001), Roberts gained recognition for her lead role as Addie Singer on the Nickelodeon television series Unfabulous (2004–2007). She released her debut studio album Unfabulous and More in 2005. Roberts then appeared in numerous films, including Aquamarine (2006), Nancy Drew (2007), Wild Child (2008), Hotel for Dogs (2009), Valentine's Day (2010), It's Kind of a Funny Story (2010), and The Art of Getting By (2011).
Looking for more mature roles, Roberts obtained starring roles in the films Lymelife (2008), 4.3.2.1. (2010), Scream 4 (2011), Adult ...more
