Bindi Irwin Takes Major Step & Undergoes Surgery After 10 Years of Pain From Endometriosis

Bindi Irwin is opening up and sharing her story after revealing to fans that she’s been suffering from endometriosis for 10 years.

The 24-year-old conservationist and mom of one took to her Instagram page, sharing a photo of herself post-surgery to pull back the reality of living with the pain.

Bindi started by saying that she wasn’t sure she wanted to share her story with her fans, but then said she made the choice to share it so others could feel they were not alone in their struggles.

“For 10yrs I’ve struggled with insurmountable fatigue, pain & nausea. Trying to remain a positive person & hide the pain has been a very long road. These last 10yrs have included many tests, doctors visits, scans, etc,” she wrote. “A doctor told me it was simply something you deal with as a woman & I gave up entirely, trying to function through the pain. I didn’t find answers until a friend @lesliemosier helped set me on a path of regaining my life. I decided to undergo surgery for endometriosis.”

“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,” Bindi continued. “To cut a long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep & difficult to remove, & a chocolate cyst. @seckinmd’s first words to me when I was in recovery were, ‘How did you live with this much pain?’ Validation for years of pain is indescribable.”

Bindi then assured her fans that she was “on the road to recovery & the gratitude I feel is overwhelming.”

“To those questioning the cancelled plans, unanswered messages & absence – I had been pouring every ounce of the energy I had left into our daughter & family.”

She also pleaded with fans to “be gentle & pause before asking me (or any woman) when we’ll be having more children. After all that my body has gone through, I feel tremendously grateful that we have our gorgeous daughter. She feels like our family’s miracle.”

Bindi shares a daughter, almost two-year-old Grace, with husband Chandler Powell.

“I’m aware of millions of women struggling with a similar story,” she started to conclude her post. “There’s stigma around this awful disease. I’m sharing my story for anyone who reads this & is quietly dealing with pain & no answers. Let this be your validation that your pain is real & you deserve help. Keep searching for answers. www.endofound.org.”