LENA DUNHAM SPENT ten years living with endometriosis, and ultimately underwent a hysterectomy last year at the age of 31.
Since then, the writer and actress has spoken openly about the years of chronic pain she endured, the countless efforts she made to alleviate the symptoms of the condition and the moment which led her to beg medical professionals to ‘stop the pain or take my uterus’.
Recently, the actress celebrated the nine-month anniversary of her surgery, and this week she is back in hospital after having her left ovary removed.
In a poignant Instagram post, Lena reveals that despite what she – and indeed her followers might have assumed – the hysterectomy didn’t ‘fix her’.
Lena reflected on the suggestions made my well-meaning followers, and refused to feel bowed.
A lot of people commented on my last post about being too sick to finish promoting my show by saying my hysterectomy should have fixed it. That I should get acupuncture and take supplements (I do). That I should see a therapist because it’s clearly psychological.
Lena’s multiple surgeries and setbacks have done much to teach her about her own wellbeing, and that of others.
A big lesson I’ve learned in all this is that health, like most things, isn’t linear – things improve and things falter and you start living off only cranberry juice from a sippy cup/sleeping on a glorified heating pad but you’re also happier than you’ve been in years.
Lena then tuned her attention to the battles fought by women to have their symptoms and gut instincts recognised by medical professionals
I’m simultaneously shocked by what my body is and isn’t doing for me and red with rage that access to medical care is a privilege and not a right in this country and that women have to work extra hard just to prove what we already know about our own bodies and beg for what we need to be well. It’s humiliating.
Lena’s post which was uploaded just three hours ago has amassed more than 106,000 likes.
