Bindi Irwin says she was made to feel ‘ashamed’ of endometriosis pain

Australian conservationist and TV personality Bindi Irwin has said she is “genuinely healing” after suffering years of pain from endometriosis and called for greater understanding of the condition.

Irwin, who first revealed her decade-long struggle with the disease in 2023, said in an update, she was “slowly gaining my strength back” and “beginning to recognise myself again”.

After feeling “utterly ashamed” when told her pain was “just part of being a woman”, the 27-year-old said society needs to remove the stigma around women’s health.

Irwin’s story has reignited conversations worldwide about the condition which can cause severe pain and infertility, affecting about one in ten women.

“Young girls and women shouldn’t feel alone with pain in the driver’s seat of their lives,” she wrote in an Instagram post to her 5.7 million followers.

“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.”

Irwin’s original 2023 Instagram post on her struggles with endometriosis got more than 1.1 million likes, with her latest update attracting about 260,000 likes.

Endometriosis is caused when tissue similar to the womb’s lining grows in other parts of the body such as the ovaries and fallopian tubes.

It can cause extreme pain during periods, sexual intercourse and bowel movements, as well as pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea and fatigue.

There is no currently no known reason or cure for the condition.

Irwin wrote that after “13 years of fighting for answers” and two surgeries where she had 51 lesions, a cyst and her appendix removed, she was finally on the mend.

“I can function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain,” she wrote.

“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.”

Irwin is the daughter of Steve Irwin, an Australian conservationist and TV documentary host who was best known as the “Crocodile Hunter” before he died in 2006.

She has since carved out her own path as a self-described wildlife warrior and runs Australia Zoo with her mum Terri and brother Robert.

She is married to Chandler Powell and gave birth to their daughter, Grace Warrior in 2021.

Steve Irwin died aged 44 after being stung by a stingray while filming on the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of Queensland.