Lena Dunham has 'total hysterectomy' after suffering with endometriosis
"Soon I'll start exploring whether my ovaries have eggs. Adoption is a thrilling truth I'll pursue with all my might," she wrote.
Wednesday 14 February 2018 17:52, UK
Actress Lena Dunham has had a total hysterectomy after years of suffering from a condition called endometriosis.
The 31-year-old creator of the hit HBO show Girls wrote an essay for Vogue magazine, explaining what propelled her to surgically remove her cervix and uterus.
"I may have felt choiceless before, but I know I have choices now," she wrote.
"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."
According to the NHS, endometriosis is where "tissue that behaves like the lining of the womb is found in other parts of the body".
Symptoms can vary, but may include stomach or back pain, pain during sex or when going to the toilet, constipation, heavy periods, and difficulty getting pregnant.
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The actress and producer said the decision followed "years of complex surgeries measuring in the double digits" and that, during the procedure, she discovered other complications.
"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," she wrote.
"My ovary has settled in on the muscles around the sacral nerves in my back that allow us to walk.
"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."
Dunham joins the likes of Selena Gomez and Lady Gaga as a celebrity advocating for the understanding of diseases.