In an essay written for the March 2018 issue of Vogue, actress and writer Lena Dunham has revealed she's undergone a full hysterectomy as a result of her endometriosis. The major surgery means 31-year-old Lena has had all her reproductive organs removed.
The operation, which Lena elected to have, came following "years of complex surgeries measuring in the double digits", as well as various other alternative treatments including "pelvic floor therapy, massage therapy, pain therapy, colour therapy, acupuncture", and more.
Girls writer and actress Lena explained in her essay the additional health conditions that led to her hysterectomy.
"In addition to endometrial disease, an odd hump-like protrusion and a septum running down the middle, I have retrograde bleeding, aka my period running in reverse so that my stomach is full of blood," she wrote.
"My ovary has settled in on the muscles around the sacral nerves in my back that allow us to walk. Let's please not even talk about my uterine lining. The only beautiful detail is that the organ – which is meant to be shaped like a light bulb – was shaped like a heart."
This array of medical ailments ultimately led Lena to conclude that a full hysterectomy was the most sensible option for treatment. But it obviously has huge repercussions; namely, removing her ability to carry a child naturally along with the organs themselves.
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And it's something she considered thoroughly, given her desire one day to become a mother.
"I may have felt choiceless before, but I know I have choices now," Lena wrote. "Soon I'll start exploring whether my ovaries, which remain someplace inside me in that vast cavern of organs and scar tissue, have eggs. Adoption is a thrilling truth I'll pursue with all my might."
Lena's hysterectomy hopefully now signals the end of her struggles with endometriosis, which she's openly spoken about before.
The newly-single actress, who announced her split from boyfriend of five years Jack Antonoff in January this year, has also just revealed a new TV series she's working on. Camping, which she's executive producing alongside her creative partner Jenni Konner, will star Jennifer Garner and currently has no air date.
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Cat is Cosmopolitan UK's features editor covering women's issues, health and current affairs. news, features and health. The route to her heart is a simple combination of pasta and cheese (somewhat ironic considering the whole health writing thing), and she finds it difficult to commit to TV series so currently has about 14 different ones on the go.
