Bindi Irwin was brought to tears as she described her decade-long battle with endometriosis and how it brought about fears during her pregnancy in particular.
Speaking to Good Morning America, the Aussie conservationalist says she would be “terrified every day” at the prospect of losing her unborn child.
“I would often have times where I thought I was miscarrying because I would have severe unexplained pain,” she described.
“It would just be excruciating pain in my side, and I would think that I was losing our beautiful daughter.
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“I had no idea about what was happening. And so now I have answers. But at the time I was terrified every day that I was going to lose our beautiful daughter.
“For me and Chandler, we’re so lucky to have Grace… So many women can’t fall pregnant because of problems with endometriosis.”
Endometriosis is described by the World Health Organisation as “a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus”.
“This leads to inflammation and scar tissue forming in the pelvic region and (rarely) elsewhere in the body.”
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This can cause severe pain and often makes it hard to get pregnant. There is no known cause or cure for the disease yet, but symptoms can be managed through medication or, in some cases, surgery.
Irwin underwent surgery earlier this year to find out whether she really did have the disease, after suffering from symptoms since the age of 14.
When she came out of it, she said “the first thing [the doctor] said to me was ‘How did you live with that much pain?’ And that validation meant so much to me.”
The doctors ended up finding 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst on her ovaries, confirming that she did have the disease.
She eventually had them all removed and is now “pain free”.
If you or someone you know is struggling after being affected by pregnancy loss, contact Pink Elephants or SANDS Australia (1300 072 637) for support and information.