Bindi Irwin said she is “slowly gaining” her strength back after more than a decade of living with endometriosis and struggling with its debilitating effects.
The TV star, 27, the daughter of late wildlife expert Steve Irwin, said in an Instagram post that after 13 years and multiple surgeries, she is “genuinely healing” and is able to “function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain”.
“13 years of fighting for answers. 51 endometriosis lesions, a chocolate cyst, and my appendix were all removed across two surgeries,” she started, adding that a hernia she got from when she gave birth to her daughter in 2021 “that was unzipping,” was also looked at.
“I can FINALLY say that I’m feeling better. Genuinely healing. I can function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain. Slowly, slowly gaining my strength back.
“I cannot express the gravity of my emotions as I am beginning to recognise myself again. I felt utterly ashamed as a teenager and young adult being told that my pain was just part of being a woman. I felt lesser. I felt hurt. I felt weak. That is not ok,” she continued.
“Young girls and women shouldn’t feel alone with pain in the driver’s seat of their lives. We need to take away the stigma of talking about women’s health. It’s time to have open discussions and make change on a global scale.”
Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, often on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or pelvic lining. This misplaced tissue has no way to leave the body during menstruation, leading to inflammation, scarring, and sometimes infertility.
The disorder affects an estimated one in 10 women, causing symptoms such as severe pelvic pain, heavy periods, pain during sex, and fatigue, according to the Mayo Clinic.
While the exact cause remains unclear, factors such as genetics, immune dysfunction, and hormonal influences are thought to play a role.
Irwin first posted about her struggle with endometriosis in 2023, writing about the “stigma around this awful disease” and that she was sharing her story for “anyone who reads this and is quietly dealing with pain and no answers”.
She has also previously spoken about how her pain had been dismissed by doctors for a very long time.
“It’s so hard because you feel like it’s inescapable,” she told People in August 2023. “You don’t know what’s wrong with you, and then when people tell you ‘It’s all in your head’ or ‘you’re hormonal’ or ‘just have a cup of tea, lay down,’ you end up feeling so desperately alone because there’s no answer.”
“I was so scared that they wouldn’t find anything because we had run out of everything else to test for,” she recalled. “After years of doctors and various people telling you there’s nothing, you really start to believe it. You wind up in this strange space of self-doubt, fear and insecurity. That’s hard to overcome.”
In 2022 she underwent a laparoscopy procedure after experiencing pain so debilitating that it forced her into the foetal position, which confirmed her endometriosis.
She shared that during the medical procedure, doctors discovered 37 lesions and a cyst on her ovary, which she had removed through surgery.
In May this year, Irwin was unable to attend the annual gala honouring her father after her appendix ruptured.
Her brother Robert Irwin told People at the time: “She’s going to be OK, but surgery – out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them. She’s just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes. Health is so important – it really is.”
