Celebrities With Endometriosis: Olivia Culpo, Julianne Hough and More

Endometriosis involves the abnormal growth of tissue in and around the uterus and stands as one of the top causes of infertility among women. Affecting as many as 1 in 10 women, according to UCLA Health, this condition can take years to diagnose, leaving many to discover it in their 30s or 40s.

Despite the stigma surrounding reproductive health, advocates like Olivia Culpo and Julianne Hough refuse to stay silent about their struggles.

Scroll down to learn more about other inspiring women fighting endometriosis.

In August 2020, Culpo took to her Instagram Story to bring attention to the condition, revealing her personal battle.

"I've never publicly said this before but I have endometriosis," she admitted, sharing her "excruciatingly painful" journey. "Definitely go to your doctor if you have painful periods. Painful periods are not normal. You just want to make sure that everything is ok if you did want to get pregnant. You just never know. You don't want to wait too late, so I want everyone to take that seriously."

After undergoing two endometriosis surgeries, Hough shared how she managed to reduce the pain caused by the condition.

"I will tell you, through this transformation of really connecting back to my truth, I haven't had symptoms of endometriosis because of the love and kindness I'm giving to my body," she shared in the June 2020 cover story for Women's Health. "I believe there's stress, shame, guilt, and suppression of female energy that's associated with endometriosis, so de-layering that has really helped."

In an August Instagram post, Bindi Irwin spoke candidly about feeling better after facing multiple health issues — including endometriosis — over the past few years.

"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," she shared in the caption.

Recalling her experience when she was a teenager and young adult, Irwin admitted she felt "lesser," "hurt" and "weak" after being told her pain was "just part of being a woman."

"That is not ok. 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," she continued.

Irwin underwent endometriosis surgery in 2023. At the time, she shared her experience as she worked to raise awareness about the chronic condition.

Amy Schumer told her followers, "If you have really painful periods you may have #endometriosis."

In the September 2021 post, the I Feel Pretty actress revealed she underwent surgery to have her uterus and appendix removed after her doctor found 30 spots of endometriosis in her body.

"There was a lot, a lot of blood in my uterus and I'm, you know, sore and I have some, like, gas pains," she added.

In the years thereafter, Schumer became more open about her symptoms, including how the condition caused her face to appear more swollen than usual. She also lambasted how little funding endometriosis gets.

Four months after suffering a pregnancy loss in September 2020, Chrissy Teigen underwent surgery to treat her endometriosis.

While her road to recovery was not an easy one, the model bravely showed her surgical scars to mark Valentine's Day in 2021.

"Happy Valentine's Day. Love yourself! B---- has been throuuugh it," Teigen wrote.

Emma Roberts endured pain due to an undiagnosed endometriosis years before becoming pregnant.

In an interview with Cosmopolitan, the Aquamarine actress revealed she always had "debilitating cramps and periods" since she was a teenager.

"In my late 20s, I just had a feeling I needed to switch to a female doctor. It was the best decision," Roberts said. "She ran tests, sent me to a specialist. Finally, there was validation that I wasn't being dramatic. But by then it had affected my fertility."

During her challenging journey, Roberts decided to share her story 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 continued.

In an essay in Vogue, Lena Dunham confirmed she had a total hysterectomy at 31 in an attempt to end her years-long battle with chronic pain caused by endometriosis.

"In addition to endometrial disease, an odd hump-like protrusion and a septum running down the middle, I have retrograde bleeding, a.k.a. my period running in reverse so that my stomach is full of blood. My ovary has settled in on the muscles around the sacral nerves in my back that allow us to walk," she wrote. "Let's please not even talk about my uterine lining. The only beautiful detail is that the organ—which is meant to be shaped like a light bulb—was shaped like a heart."

A total hysterectomy is a procedure that involves removing a woman's cervix and uterus. After undergoing the operation, Dunham said she was still determined to have children through different options.

"Soon I'll start exploring whether my ovaries, which remain someplace inside me in that vast cavern of organs and scar tissue, have eggs. Adoption is a thrilling truth I'll pursue with all my might," she continued.

In July, the Too Much actress revealed she began the process of "expanding" her family with her husband, Luis Felber.

Sarah Hyland, who previously battled kidney dysplasia, had to deal with endometriosis and a hernia after the transplant. She underwent laparoscopic surgery for her endometriosis in 2018, though she still suffered from the symptoms after the procedure.

"[This week] I've had a flare-up with my endo. It has been hard to stand up straight, let alone work. The fetal position helps a lot," she told Self in 2018.

In an August 2020 interview with People, Savannah Chrisley spoke candidly about being diagnosed with endometriosis when she was 18. When she got her period for the first time, she thought "the pain was normal. But then it just kept getting worse and worse."

"People who don't suffer from it don't really understand," Chrisley said. "They push it off and say that painful periods are just part of it. Other people don't really get where you're coming from, and you feel like you're alone in it."

After sharing her story on her parents' "Chrisley Confessions" podcast, she reportedly began receiving messages from other women who have the same condition.

"It makes me feel good that people feel that they can be vulnerable about what they're going through because I was vulnerable about it. It's been really uplifting," she shared.

Former figure skater Tara Lipinski underwent surgery for endometriosis in 2020.

Two weeks post-op, she shared her health battle on social media to "inform and support other women who may be struggling with this painful disease" and "bring more awareness to this condition."

"I think the more we talk about endometriosis, the more proactive we can be about treatment," she wrote in the lengthy post. "To me, it feels like a hush hush topic that women feel they just need to tough out. No woman should live in pain or think 'this is just something I have to deal with.'"

While struggling with endometriosis for years, Lipinski realized she was "one of the lucky ones" as she had "intermittent pain" she often overlooked.

"And I probably didn't describe my symptoms accurately or forcefully enough to my doctors for them to suspect endometriosis," she continued.

After her symptoms got worse in 2020, she decided to have an excision procedure to remove the "moderate amount of endo" from her body.