Australian fitness queen Kayla Itsines opens up about her secret battle with endometriosis

Australian fitness queen Kayla Itsines has opened up about her secret health battle with endometriosis as she recovers from her second surgery to ease the condition.

The 29-year-old trainer outlined the reality of living with the debilitating disorder which causes the tissue lining of the uterus to grow on other organs such as the ovaries, resulting in pain and irregular periods.

The mother-of-one, who shares daughter one-year-old daughter Arna Leia with her ex fiancé, Tobi Pearce, shared a video of herself wincing while slowly walking on a treadmill with a patch over her bellybutton two days after her operation.

‘On February 19 I had my second surgery for endometriosis. What you are watching is my very slow recovery,’ Kayla wrote in a post to her 12.8million Instagram followers.

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Australian fitness queen Kayla Itsines (pictured) has opened up about her secret health battle with endometriosis as she recovers from her second surgery to ease the condition 

The 29-year-old shared a video of herself walking on a treadmill two days after surgery to ease her crippling endometriosis

What is endometriosis? 

Endometriosis is a common disease in which the tissue that is similar to the lining of the womb grows outside it in other parts of the body. 

One in 10 women suffer from endometriosis at some point in their life with the disease often starting in teenagers. 

Symptoms are variable and this may contribute to the 7 to 12-year delay in diagnosis. Common symptoms include pelvic pain that puts life on hold around or during a woman’s period. It can damage fertility.

Source: Endometriosis Australia

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She said she was sharing her experience to raise awareness about the condition believed to affect roughly 700,000 Australian women, government health data shows.

‘Endometriosis can take a long time to get diagnosed for lots of women as it’s sadly brushed off as ‘just your time of the month’,’ Kayla wrote.

‘This is the reason I’m talking to you all about my experience and to try and encourage you to take action if you have very painful periods.

‘One in 10 of us have it so you aren’t abnormal or a special case and you won’t be alone if you do get diagnosed like I did.’

While there is no cure for endometriosis, the severity of symptoms can be reduced with hormone therapy or the removal of tissue in laparoscopic surgery, which Kayla has now had twice.

However pain typically returns within one to two years after this treatment, meaning endometriosis a chronic – lifelong – condition.

The co-founder of world famous exercise app SWEAT said it took ‘years of living with pain’ before deciding that something wasn’t right and eventually seeing a doctor to get a diagnosis and the treatment she needed.

She continued that she went for a follow-up surgery in February after ‘suffering the worst pain’ she has ever experienced.

‘Since my surgery, some days have been really tough especially when you have a lively daughter on your hands (as you can see in my video) but I’m so grateful to have my family close by to help me,’ Kayla revealed.

‘I’ve been doing everything I can to make sure my body heals, such as light walking on the treadmill. I’m staying positive and hoping that the procedure helps me to continue managing my symptoms.’

She signed off by urging her female fans to see a doctor if something doesn’t feel right, adding: ‘Remember, no one knows your body better than you do.’

Kayla (pictured with one-year-old daughter Arna Leia) urged women not to normalise period pain

Kayla’s post, which has amassed 147,658 likes since it was uploaded on Friday morning, has sparked an outpouring of support from followers, many of whom are living with the same condition.

‘Thanks for sharing your story. I’m also suffering from endometriosis,’ one woman wrote.

‘My doctor always told me, my pain is there because my body isn’t fully worked to capacity. It took me three years with incredible pain until I found a doctor who took my suffering serious.

‘She sent me straight to an ambulance in a hospital and finally I got the help I needed. Please never let someone tell you that your pain isn’t real!’ 

Others thanked Kayla for raising awareness about the disorder.

‘I literally had no idea about it until my sister found out she had it,’ Los Angeles fashion designer Gabriela Bandy replied.

‘I’ve seen her go through a long painful journey and I’m so glad someone with a big platform like you is spreading more info on it.’

Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk

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