Amy Schumer has opened up about her decision to remove her uterus and appendix as a result of endometriosis complications that spread through her body.
Sharing her decision with the world on her Instagram, the 40-year-old actress and comedian can be seen in her hospital bed and explains that her doctor found 30 spots of endometriosis that had to be removed, along with her appendix since the condition has begun to attack that too.
“So it’s the morning after my surgery for endometriosis, and my uterus is out,” she explained.
“There was a lot, a lot of blood in my uterus. I’m, you know, sore and I have some, like, gas pains.”
Her caption added to her video announcement, warning her followers who menstruate that incredibly painful periods may be a sign of endometriosis and should be seen by a doctor immediately.
The chronic disease causes abnormal uterine tissue to grow on other organs and can present debilitating symptoms including painful periods, heavy bleeding and in some cases infertility. In fact, it’s estimated that a staggering one in ten Australian women are living with endometriosis, according to Endometriosis Australia.
Posting a follow-up video the next day, Schumer continued her original announcement by explaining that she wants to “raise awareness” about endometriosis, adding that the condition is “really painful and debilitating, and you don’t have to live with it.”
“I’m feeling really hopeful, and I’m really glad that I did it, and I think it’s going to change my life,” she revealed.
Schumer has previously spoken candidly about her endometriosis diagnosis, with the condition being the reason she had to have a Caesarean birth of her 2-year-old Gene with husband Chris Fischer, with her procedure taking twice as long as a standard c-section.
“I was throwing up through the first hour of my c-section,” she said in an interview on the Informed Pregnancy podcast in late 2019.
“It’s supposed to take about an hour and a half. Mine took over three hours because of my endometriosis.”
Schumer has also previously spoken publicly about how endometriosis has impacted her fertility. Back in January, she revealed that she had chosen to undergo IVF treatments and shared the news on her Instagram for some advice.
“I’m a week into IVF and feeling really run down and emotional. If anyone went through it and if you have any advice or wouldn’t mind sharing your experience with me please do,” Schumer wrote alongside a photo of her bare stomach covered in bruises.
“My number is in my bio. We are freezing my eggs and figuring out what to do to give Gene a sibling.”
