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Olivia Culpo bravely opened up about her battle with endometriosis on Instagram, revealing to her fans on October 1 that she had been rushed to the hospital after experiencing intense pain. The former Miss Universe, 28, took to her Instagram Stories and wrote, “Haven’t been feeling well. A lot of you know i have endo and the other day i had pain on my right side. Went to the ER and hello ovarian cyst!!!
She confessed that she was “hesitant” to share this news, but the support she got from fans after sharing her endometriosis diagnosis inspired her to open up. “I feel like it’s so important we support one another by normalizing conversation around reproductive health,” she wrote, adding that people with ovaries. “should not feel embarrassed to talk about it on top of it already being complicated at time”
Olivia also asked her Instagram followers to offer any remedies with her that could curb her pain or help shrink her cyst. And boy, did they deliver! She later uploaded a video to her Instagram Stories to thank them for their help. “I’m going to go eat a lot of ginger because that’s what everyone suggested,” she said. “Also I’ve cut out caffeine completely, which I’ve been really tired lately, but that definitely has helped. I feel a little less pain.”
She also revealed that she’s having endometriosis laparoscopy surgery “in the next two months,” and will keep fans updated on that part of her health journey, as well. Olivia admitted that she’s “very scared,” but hopeful. Endometriosis is a condition that causes the tissue that normally lines the interior of the uterus to grow outside of it, on the ovaries, fallopian tubes, or even intestines. This causes excruciating pain and can include complications with menstruation and fertility.
Olivia’s not alone. Endometriosis affects an estimated 6.5 million women in the United States, including stars like Halsey and Savannah Chrisley. Olivia revealed her diagnosis on Instagram in August, writing, “I’ve never publicly said this before but I have endometriosis. Aka the most excruciatingly painful cramps/periods. Anyone else reading this have Endo? No fun.”