When anyone opens up about their health, we know that it takes a lot of courage. We don’t take for granted that they are giving of themselves, making people feel less alone. And yes, we mean the less alone, because having a chronic illness (for instance) is very lonely.
Janel Parrish took to social media and opened up about her battle with endometriosis. She originally spoke out about having the disease in 2024.
She recently posted on her TikTok about her struggle with the “horrible, isolating disease.”
Endometriosis is a disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus. It is extremely painful and hard to diagnose.
The actress reached out to her “endo sisters” and said, “I hope this finds the right audience. I’m speaking directly to my Endo sisters. Endo sisters, if you’re here, stay if you want to talk about this horrible, isolating disease.”
Parrish was open about what she has gone through, saying that a year ago she had her first endo surgery and saying that in that surgery, “I had ablation as well, and then my gyno put me on Orilissa for about six horrible months. A year after my surgery, we’ve got the news that the endo is growing back.”
She went on to say that it was time to “educate myself more on this disease” and that she needed to “not just trust what my gyno is saying, and seek out other opinions, specifically from endometriosis specialists. And I’m learning so much more than I mean. It’s blowing my mind what I’ve learned, and I’m curious to also hear all of your stories and how you’ve found treatment.”
Endometriosis is a terrifying disease. If you have it, you know that the pain is debilitating, and it is hard for people to understand what you are going through. The pain doesn’t just come when you have your period; the pain can remain constant or come randomly. Doctors don’t always get how bad it is and can be dismissive.
Parrish said that her gynecologist had been telling her to “just get pregnant” as a solution. We’re shocked because that is just really the wrong message (in our opinion) because endometriosis can make it harder to get pregnant (at least that’s what I was told by my gynecologist).
Parrish went on to say, Also, like, I’m reading a lot of things now that are saying that’s not necessarily the case.”
Parrish went on to say that, “Pregnancy isn’t necessarily a treatment for endometriosis. So I’m just trying to educate myself. I’m trying to stay calm. I’m trying to tell my story in the hopes that it will help some of you out there who are getting misinformation as well and are feeling alone, and maybe we can just find each other and talk about these things and help each other.”
On her TikTok post, she wrote, “For my #endosisters #endometriosis sound off in the comments, tell your stories. We are not alone and we are strong 🤍”
See the TikTok below –
@janelparrish For my #endosisters #endometriosis ♬ original sound – Janel Parrish
