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Comedian Amy Schumer has opened up about her severe health condition, endometriosis, which impacts millions of women globally, calling it a “lonely disease.”
In a brief clip ahead of a Paramount Plus docuseries, “The Checkup With Dr. David Agus,” airing Tuesday, Schumer said her experiences have been “really difficult.”
“I’ve been in so much pain, you know, my whole life — not just the week of my period,” she said.
“For months, I had been complaining of pain. It was just this pain you can’t see, and there is the inclination to always think a woman is just being dramatic,” she added.
Endometriosis is a chronic disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, such as on the fallopian tubes, or in the bowels or bladder. It can cause “severe, life-impacting pain” and can lead to infertility, according to the World Health Organization. It afflicts about 10 percent of reproductive-age women and girls globally.
In the United States, more than 6.5 million women have endometriosis, according to the Office on Women’s Health, a government health agency. It is most common in women in their 30s and 40s. Symptoms include bleeding, chronic pelvic pain, nausea and fatigue, and pain during periods, sexual intercourse, bowel movements and urination.
The disease is often misdiagnosed because of its variable symptoms and because in many countries “healthcare providers are not aware that distressing and life-altering pelvic pain is not normal,” the World Health Organization said.
Women have previously told The Washington Post they struggled to make doctors take their pain seriously or get an accurate diagnosis, while the Endometriosis Foundation of America says more needs to be done to increase recognition of the disease.
“It just hurts, and it’s really just a lonely, lonely disease,” said Schumer.
She added that she experiences just one “good week a month” when she is not in “pretty significant pain.” Despite this, the award-winning actress and comedian said she still tries to “achieve” and “go through life.”
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Endometriosis has no cure, and treatment is normally based on alleviating its symptoms.
Last year, Schumer told her fans in a video posted on Instagram that she had her appendix and uterus removed as a result of the condition. Society can often be dismissive or “paint women as weak” if they complain about pain, she added.
“We’ve been told for so long that we’re annoying and dramatic and all these things, and we’re not,” she said. “My pain is real, your pain is real — we have to advocate for ourselves.” She has also lamented that there was not more funding or research going into finding a cure for the chronic disease.
Schumer, who is related to Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), said in the latest clip that she felt like a “new person” after having surgery and was feeling better “right away.”
“Many women with endometriosis get pregnant. But, you may find it harder to get pregnant,” advises the Office on Women’s Health. Schumer gave birth to a son in 2019 and documented her experiences in a show called “Expecting Amy.”
