10 Celebrities Who Have Opened Up About Living With Endometriosis

“Fragile, but excited,” is how Halsey described her mood for the 2022 Grammys. “The last time I attended the Grammys was 2017 and it was 3 days after I had my first Endometriosis surgery,” she explained on Instagram alongside a selfie of her wearing a medical hair net and gown. “I walked the carpet with my stitches still in. As luck would have it, I’m attending [the Grammys] for the first time in years and I had surgery again (you guessed it) 3 days ago.”

Halsey’s choice to disclose her situation publicly no doubt brought solace to her fellow endometriosis sufferers. As we’ve come to find, when celebrities open up about their health, it helps not only bring awareness to vital issues, but serves as an important reminder that they are more common than you might think.

Endometriosis is among the leading examples of just that: According to the Endometriosis Foundation of America, endometriosis affects 1 in 10 women of childbearing age. It’s a chronic menstruation disorder that occurs when the tissue that lines the uterus, known as the endometrium, migrates to other parts of the body such as the fallopian tubes, ovaries, or along the pelvis. It causes inflammation as the tissue responds to the monthly fluctuations of a woman’s menstrual cycle. Symptoms include pain, heavy periods, and even infertility. “Some women get severe scarring on their ovaries, some get cysts that rupture inside their ovaries, and sometimes the ovaries get embedded in the side of the abdomen—nowhere near the fallopian tubes—making fertilization impossible,” explains Elizabeth Ginsburg, M.D., medical director of Assisted Reproductive Technologies at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, of the infertility implications. 

At least 200 million women worldwide have endometriosis, and on average, individuals suffer for 10 years or more before being correctly diagnosed with endometriosis—which is why we’re so grateful to the celebrities who have shed light on the condition. Here, a roundup of stars who have brought attention to endometriosis—and bravely helped shed the stigmas around it.

Halsey