One of our favourite celebrity mums who forever keeps it real, Amy Schumer, has revealed she recently had a hysterectomy to combat endometriosis.
The superstar comedian, actress and amazing mum of two-year-old Gene, posted a photo to her Instagram page of herself in a hospital gown with the caption “If you have really painful periods you may have endometriosis.”
A sister sharing her story to help other sisters
The post also featured a short video clip of groggy Amy laying in her hospital bed, post-surgery, giving an update on her where she was at with her recovery.
Amy then backed the original post up with another video post to follow, after realising Instagram cut her off the first time. Across the two videos the superstar says:
“So it’s the morning after my surgery for endometriosis and my uterus is out. The doctor found 30 spots of endometriosis and he removed my appendix because the endometriosis had attacked it there was a lot … a lot of blood in my uterus.
I’m feeling really hopeful and I’m really glad I did it. And I think it’s going to change my life. So that’s the update.
I’m like going to try to share this story at some point to raise awareness because so many people don’t even know the word endometriosis and it’s like 1 in 10 women has it. It’s really painful and debilitating and you don’t have to live with it. So you know when I get a helpful female tidbit, I like to pass it on to my sisters.”
In the videos, Amy is clearly in discomfort and says she’s a little sore and has gas pains but otherwise indicates that she’s otherwise in good spirits.
Is Amy Schumer’s hysterectomy at age 40 extreme?
While a hysterectomy (removal of the uterus) sounds extreme, it’s not an uncommon procedure for endometriosis sufferers to resort to after enduring what is often years and years of pain. A hysterectomy isn’t always a cure for the disease, but it does relieve many of the painful symptoms.
As for future siblings for Gene… while her hysterectomy does mean Amy won’t be carrying a pregnancy again, we won’t be at all surprised if she and her husband Chris Fischer add to their brood in the future through other ways. In January of 2020, Amy posted this post below to Instagram which suggests so!
Let’s talk about endometriosis.
According to Endometriosis Australia, 1 in 9 women suffer from endometriosis. But what is it exactly? Endometriosis is a common disease where tissue similar to the lining of the womb/uterus grows outside in other parts of the body.
Two types of problems can occur when endometriosis is present – pain and infertility.
Those who suffer from endometriosis will often have a lot of trouble becoming pregnant. But also in stark comparison, it is also possible to have endometriosis and not have either of those problems.
More than 830,000 (or just over 11%) of Australian women suffer from endometriosis at some point in their life. More often than not, the disease starts in the teenage years.
What are the symptoms of endometriosis?
Symptoms are variable and it’s that variance that so often contributes to the average six and a half year delay in diagnosis.
- Fatigue
- Pain that stops you on and around your period
- Pain on or around ovulation
- Pain during or after sex
- Pain with bowel movements
- Pain when you urinate
- Pain in your pelvic region, lower back or legs
- Having trouble holding on to a full bladder or frequent urination
- Heavy bleeding or irregular bleeding
For more information on symptoms, treatments, seeking a diagnosis, support groups and research, jump on over to Endometriosis Australia, it’s an amazing resource!
We wish Amy Schumer a super speedy recovery from her surgery and we sincerely hope she can look forward to a future with considerably less pain. For other women who are suffering from endometriosis or extreme period pain, we hope you can work with your doctor to find a treatment that’s right for you too!
