Bindi Irwin, the celebrated conservationist and TV personality, recently shared her arduous journey of enduring over a decade of debilitating pain before finally receiving a diagnosis of endometriosis. In a candid conversation on the A Life of Greatness podcast, Irwin, age 26, opened up about the silent struggle that profoundly impacted her life for many years. This revelation followed her initial announcement of the diagnosis on Instagram in March 2023, bringing to light a hidden battle fought behind the scenes.
For more than ten years, Bindi Irwin lived with a secret torment, describing herself as “really, really sick.” Confiding in only her closest family members – her husband Chandler Powell, her mother Terri Irwin, and her brother Robert Irwin – Bindi wrestled with symptoms that made everyday life a challenge. “The only people that knew that I was incredibly unwell … my husband, my mom and my brother, and behind closed doors I was struggling to do anything and everything,” she recounted. This hidden illness led to frequent disruptions in her life, with Bindi explaining, “It resulted in a lot of canceled plans, people must have thought I was just incredibly flaky because I was getting so sick from this disease that I would try to get up and I would just throw up, I was in so much pain all the time. Every day the fatigue and the battle.”
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Bindi Irwin bravely shares her experience with endometriosis, highlighting the diagnostic challenges and the long journey to finding answers.
Irwin emphasized the widespread nature of endometriosis and the critical need for greater awareness, stating, “endometriosis is an enormous problem for so many people and it’s not being talked about a lot.” Her personal experience underscores this point, as she navigated a decade of being undiagnosed. “I went for 10 years undiagnosed because doctors really didn’t know enough, they diagnosed me with a million other things, like IBS, or hormones or ‘It’s just part of being a woman.'” These dismissive diagnoses are a common experience for many women suffering from endometriosis, as Bindi noted, “The symptoms continued to snowball and it took me such a long time to find help and it’s a story that so many women and girls know all too well.” The World Health Organization (WHO) defines endometriosis as “a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It can cause severe pain in the pelvis,” highlighting the serious and often debilitating nature of the condition.
Before finally receiving the correct diagnosis, Bindi underwent extensive medical evaluations. “I had every scan you could imagine,” she said, listing CT scans, MRI scans, ultrasounds, and blood tests. She was even “tested for every tropical disease,” yet doctors repeatedly told her “there’s nothing wrong with you” despite her worsening condition. The turning point came when a friend recognized the parallels between her own endometriosis symptoms and Bindi’s described experiences. This connection led Bindi to “a lovely surgeon in the U.S.” who, upon operating, discovered “over 30 lesions.”
Bindi explained the varied and pervasive nature of endometriosis: “Basically it attacks anywhere and everywhere … it affects everybody differently. It can affect women in many different ways from fertility issues to extreme pain and fatigue, heavy bleeding.” In her own case, Bindi revealed the urgency of her situation, “For me, if I hadn’t gotten surgery, the next five years of my life would have been very make or break because I was having real problems internally.” She further detailed the severity, “I had an enormous chocolate cyst that had adhered my ovary to my side so I was just in agonizing pain and it just doesn’t show up on scans for whatever reason.” The birth of her daughter Grace served as a catalyst, prompting her to prioritize her health and seek definitive solutions.
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Bindi Irwin with her husband Chandler Powell and their daughter Grace, highlighting the personal motivations behind seeking diagnosis and treatment for endometriosis.
Expressing relief and cautious optimism, Bindi shared, “I’m so grateful to be on the other side of surgery. There’s no cure for endometriosis but if you’re able to get surgery you have a better shot at life. Maybe in five of 10 years, I’ll have to get another surgery but for now, it’s all gone, which I’m very grateful for.” She also touched upon the emotional toll of living with an invisible illness, admitting, “I was so scared to share my story, I had never talked about being unwell, because I thought it was all in my head. After a dozen doctors tell you you’re crazy, you start to believe them.”
Bindi gratefully acknowledged her family’s unwavering support throughout her decade-long ordeal. “You turn to the medical industry looking for assistance and it can cause anxiety and depression … this disease and other women’s health issues can be extremely isolating for people,” she reflected. The validation she received from her surgeon after the surgery was profoundly impactful. “My surgeon after I had surgery he said, ‘How did you live and function in this much pain?’ and those words just wiped me out because somebody finally validated 10-plus years of feeling so awful in one sentence. That meant so much to me. Never give up on yourself because you will find answers,” Bindi urged, offering a message of hope and perseverance to others facing similar health challenges.
Bindi Irwin’s journey to diagnosis and treatment culminated in her sharing her story publicly, first on Instagram in March 2023, and later in a PEOPLE cover story in August 2023. Further amplifying her advocacy, Bindi was honored with the 2024 EndoFound Blossom Award in May, recognizing her efforts to raise awareness for endometriosis. This award from the Endometriosis Foundation of America celebrates individuals dedicated to the endometriosis cause, underscoring Bindi Irwin’s significant contribution to this important fight.
