Key Points
- Bindi Irwin has revealed she's been diagnosed with endometriosis.
- The 24-year-old said she suffered from years of fatigue, pain and nausea.
- The condition affects one in nine people with female reproductive organs.
Australian conservationist Bindi Irwin has revealed that after 10 years of "insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea", she has been diagnosed with .
Irwin on Wednesday posted a photo to her social media accounts of her lying in a hospital bed, saying she felt she had a "responsibility" to share her story to help others.
The 24-year-old said she had undergone "many tests, doctors visits, scans" over the last decade to work out what was wrong with her.
"Trying to remain a positive person and hide the pain has been a very long road," she wrote.
"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."
"Going in for surgery was scary but I knew I couldn't live like I was. Every part of my life was getting torn apart because of the pain," she wrote.
"They found 37 lesions, some very deep and difficult to remove, and a chocolate cyst [a cyst filled with menstrual blood]."
Irwin - the daughter of the late conservationist and television personality Steve Irwin - said finally having her pain validated by doctors and nurses was "indescribable".
"I'm on the road to recovery and the gratitude I feel is overwhelming," she wrote.
"I'm sharing my story for anyone who reads this and is quietly dealing with pain and no answers.
"Let this be your validation that your pain is real and you deserve help. Keep searching for answers."
Her posts have been met with thousands of comments expressing solidarity, as well as a supportive Instagram post from her younger brother Robert.
In a post on his own Instagram account, Irwin's younger brother Robert said he was "so proud" of his older sister.
"It's been a long battle through a decade of pain, but you are finally on the road to recovery. I'm so happy you can have your life back," the 19-year-old wrote.
"Endometriosis is a horrible, crippling disease and too many women endure this in silence, or are never even diagnosed."
"Your story of resilience is a beacon for women around the world who are suffering - and it’s a wake-up call for men too. It's everyone's responsibility to be allies for women's health and help spread awareness."
What is endometriosis and how is it diagnosed?
Endometriosis is a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, and in other parts of the body.
While it typically affects reproductive organs, it can cause chronic pelvic pain, bowel and bladder dysfunction, infertility, heavy or irregular bleeding, and pain during sex.
The condition affects one in nine girls, women, and people assigned female at birth, according to Endometriosis Australia. There is no cure.
It takes 6.5 years on average for endometriosis to be diagnosed, which typically happens through laparoscopic surgery.
In November last year, the Albanese government announced it would honour to allocate $16.4 million towards establishing two new specialist endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics in each state and territory.
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month.
