Lili Reinhart opened up about a terrifying health journey that led to her being diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis, and revealed that a single word on a Google search made her cry in the middle of the night.
In a personal essay for elle magazine published on Thursday, March 12, the riodale The actress, 29, detailed the long process of trying to get answers about the chronic bladder pain she had been experiencing.
Despite seeing about eight doctors, none had raised the possibility that endometriosis was the cause, until her pelvic floor therapist mentioned it.
“None of the eight doctors I had seen before her had mentioned it,” he wrote.
She finally brought it up to her urogynecologist, who referred her to a specialist in minimally invasive gynecological care. Tests followed, including an ultrasound and an MRI.
Her initial results did not show endometriosis, but did indicate adenomyosis.
When Reinhart looked up the condition, one listed symptom stopped her in her tracks: infertility.
“I had no plans to get pregnant in the next few years, but I know I eventually want to have children and suddenly the desires I had for my future felt cut short,” she wrote.
She came home and woke up her boyfriend Jack Martin.
“He asked me what happened, but I didn’t have the words or the energy to explain it at the time. He just held me while I cried in pain, confusion and frustration.”
The path to a definitive answer was not easy.
Her doctor raised the possibility of a hysterectomy to control the pain, while a second opinion from an endometriosis surgeon recommended laparoscopic surgery to investigate further.
Reinhart’s own gynecologist warned that surgery might find nothing and that endometriosis often grows back, a particular concern given Reinhart’s interest in egg freezing.
She finally went ahead with the surgery and the surgeon confirmed that she had endometriosis.
“In an instant I felt validated. My pain, discomfort and suffering for over a year was no longer an unknown issue,” she wrote.
Reinhart recovered with his loved ones around him and was well enough to travel to see his family for the holidays.
