Australian conservationist and television personality Bindi Irwin has opened up about her ongoing recovery after enduring more than a decade of pain from endometriosis, calling for greater awareness and understanding of the condition.
Irwin, 27, first publicly shared her decade-long struggle in 2023 and now says she is “genuinely healing,” noting that she is “slowly gaining my strength back” and “beginning to recognise myself again.”
The star revealed she once felt “utterly ashamed” when told her pain was “just part of being a woman,” emphasizing the need to remove stigma surrounding women’s health issues.
Her story has reignited global discussions about endometriosis, a chronic condition affecting roughly one in ten women that can cause severe pain and infertility.
“Young girls and women shouldn’t feel alone with pain in the driver’s seat of their lives,” Irwin wrote in an Instagram post to her 5.7 million followers. “We need to take away the stigma of talking about women’s health. It’s time to have open discussions and make change on a global scale.”
Irwin’s original 2023 post about her endometriosis received more than 1.1 million likes, while her latest update has attracted around 260,000 likes.
Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the womb, including on the ovaries and fallopian tubes. Symptoms can include severe pain during menstruation, sexual activity, and bowel movements, as well as pelvic pain, abdominal bloating, nausea, and fatigue. Currently, there is no known cause or cure for the condition.
After “13 years of fighting for answers” and undergoing two surgeries—during which 51 lesions, a cyst, and her appendix were removed—Irwin says she is finally recovering. “I can function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain,” she shared.
Reflecting on the social stigma she faced, Irwin said, “I felt utterly ashamed as a teenager and young adult being told that my pain was just part of being a woman. I felt lesser. I felt hurt. I felt weak. That is not okay.”
Irwin, the daughter of the late Australian conservationist Steve Irwin, has built her own career as a wildlife advocate, running Australia Zoo alongside her mother Terri and brother Robert. She is married to Chandler Powell and they share a daughter, Grace Warrior, born in 2021.
Steve Irwin, famously known as the “Crocodile Hunter,” died at age 44 after being stung by a stingray while filming at the Great Barrier Reef in 2006.
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