For a decade, Bindi Irwin kept her battle with endometriosis hidden from the public eye.
Now, she’s opening up about the pain and uncertainty that shaped her journey — not just for herself, but for her daughter Grace’s future health.
Over a decade of hiding her symptoms
Bindi Irwin has truly carved out a name for herself over the years. As the daughter of the legendary Steve Irwin, she had enormous shoes to fill after her father’s untimely passing, but she’s done so with grace and determination.
With her sun-kissed hair, brown eyes, and her dad’s infectious smile, Bindi has become a beloved figure in the world of wildlife conservation.
But her journey to an independent and peaceful life has been marked by shame, pain, and fear. For 10 years, Bindi was in so much pain, fighting an invisible battle every day – but she wore a brave face and pushed herself to be the smiling image everyone expected.
When the lights went off, Bindi spent countless hours trying to maintain a happy front while secretly struggling to stay afloat.
”I lived for more than 10 years trying desperately to hide my symptoms,” she tells 9honey.
Bindi Irwin symptoms
Everything began when Bindi Irwin got her first period. With it came pain, nausea, and fatigue, which only worsened as she got older. Despite this, Bindi tried to carry on with life as usual. She got married in 2020, and from the outside, no one suspected she was suffering in secret.
But Bindi knew something wasn’t right, so she took action several times. She visited doctors, had blood tests, and underwent various tests, but none of this provided clear answers.
“I was tested for cancer. I had MRIs, I had ultrasounds, I had CT scans, just you name it. I was checked for everything,” Bindi once shared.
It even got to the point where her doctor suggested that the pain was all in her head. Without any medical answers, Bindi started to believe the doctor. Maybe it really was all in her mind?
All the stress and pressure took its toll eventually. She struggled mentally and began to withdraw. Her public appearances became less frequent.
Anyone who has been sick without getting any answers can probably relate — you end up feeling very isolated with your symptoms and withdraw from others. You don’t want to talk about it all the time.
That’s why it was such a huge relief when Bindi Irwin was finally diagnosed with endometriosis, an incurable disease in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.
To put this into perspective, getting a diagnosis takes an average of 6.5 years in Australia. Bindi had waited nearly a decade.
Discovered 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst
In 2023, Bindi took to Instagram to reveal that she had undergone surgery for endometriosis. Looking back, Bindi admitted that she was terrified before pressing ”post” to share her story on Instagram.
”At the end of the day, sharing my story with endometriosis felt so important to me that it outweighed my worry,” she told Honey9.
When the surgeons opened her up, the true cost of going undiagnosed for so long became clear: they discovered 37 lesions and a chocolate cyst, which is a cyst filled with menstrual blood.
Had Bindi gone on for a few more years with her condition, it could have had fatal consequences. It’s not impossible that she might not have made it.
Luckily, Bindi has always had a strong support system at home. Chandler Powell, her husband, an American professional wakeboarder from Florida, held her hand when she was at her lowest.
After her surgery in 2023, Chandler expressed his admiration, saying she is the strongest and toughest person he knows and that he’s excited for the new chapter in their lives.
Terri Irwin, her mother, also provided her with unconditional love.
Will Bindi Irwin have more kids?
Endometriosis can make it harder for women to have children, and according to Honey9, up to 50 percent of people with the disease may experience infertility. Given this, it’s pretty incredible that Bindi Irwin gave birth to a daughter, Grace Warrior Irwin Powell, on March 25, 2021.
“Along my pregnancy journey. I would often have times when I thought I was miscarrying because I would have severe unexplained pain. I would think that I was loosing our beautiful daughter,” Bindi said and broke down in tears during an emotional interview with Good Morning America.
Over the years, Bindi has been cautious about sharing her journey to motherhood, but she has talked about the unhealthy pressure and expectations placed on women to have children.
”I get asked if I’m having more kids every. Single. Day,” she says. While she knows most people mean no harm, ”but it can actually be a really hurtful question.”
After all, she’ll be living with this disease for the rest of her life. Bindi Irwin acknowledges that there is still a long road ahead. She feels as though she is still working to rebuild herself into the person she was before endometriosis took so much from her.
Endometriosis can run in families
As Bindi continues to recover, there’s a lingering concern that gnaws at her. It’s known that endometriosis can run in families.
“We know that there are both genetic and environmental influences that drive endometriosis, with 50% genetically related (DNA and genes) and 50% environmental factors, including lifestyle, what we eat, exposure to chemicals and the atmosphere,” Dr. Holdsworth-Carson, a researcher, told The Royal Women’s Hospital.
“There is a very, very big possibility that Grace will have endometriosis, which really does weigh on me,” Bindi says.
It’s truly heartbreaking that Bindi had to endure so much before finally receiving a proper diagnosis. She suffered so long needlessly. I truly hope her daughter, Grace, doesn’t have to face the same struggles. But at least now that the family is aware of the issue, if Grace were to experience similar symptoms, she won’t have to endure the same long and painful journey to get help.
I’m so glad Bindi is sharing her story! Breaking the stigma surrounding endometriosis is half the battle, according to her, and Bindi is doing an amazing job by being so open about it.
Hopefully, her public persona and strong advocacy will help raise awareness, lead to faster diagnoses, and improve treatments. Such a big part of the problem is how much people don’t know what it is or what the signs are.
No woman should have to suffer because some doctors lack knowledge. Share this article if you agree!
