Overview

• In a social media post, the 27-year-old said she can finally function without feeling sick or faint after 13 years of debilitating pain.
• She said surgeons removed 51 lesions, a chocolate cyst and her appendix across two operations, and addressed a postpartum hernia.
• Irwin urged people not to dismiss severe pelvic or period pain as “just part of being a woman,” calling for open conversations about women’s health.
• Endometriosis affects about one in 10 people of reproductive age, with diagnosis often delayed five to 12 years due to misdiagnosis and stigma, according to published research.
• Reporting highlights persistent barriers for marginalized patients alongside new research capacity through a $20 million Seckin Endometriosis Research Center at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.