What is endometriosis, and does Whoopi Goldberg have it?

Being inspired by a celebrity’s style, talent, movie roles — and the PDA goals — is great, but nothing trumps a renowned name employing their fame to raise awareness about a subject that has been meandering in the darkness. This time it is Whoopi Goldberg talking about endometriosis, a common if often under-diagnosed gynecological disease.

The discussion on the particular topic took place on the latest episode of The View, on which Hilary Clinton made an appearance to speak as the executive producer of Below the Belt, a documentary aimed at raising awareness about endometriosis.

What is endometriosis?

As explained by the WHO, endometriosis is a disease where tissue grows outside the uterus, resembling the one growing inside the organ. But this growth, unlike the one inside the uterus, only serves to create complications — ranging from extreme pain in the pelvis, lower back, and elsewhere, difficulty becoming pregnant, bleeding, or pain during intercourse; irregular, heavy, or painful menstruation, and many more equally hard-to-manage symptoms.

Does Whoopi Goldberg have endometriosis?

The callous outlook with which female health care is still viewed, especially when it comes to taking pain during menstruation seriously, often leads to endometriosis going undiagnosed, thus leaving many to live with its pain for years before their condition is treated — that is, if it is diagnosed at all. Thankfully, Whoopi was fortunate enough to get a quick diagnosis and early treatment, but she is equally aware that this isn’t the norm, something she openly discussed on The View (via People).

“For me, I had it once. And I was lucky enough because I had a urinary tract infection that I did not take care of. Note to people: don’t let that stuff go. Because stuff happens in your body and I ended up with what looked like — and I don’t mean to gross you out — but suddenly there was a smell and it looked like cottage cheese and I didn’t know what was going on. And I was lucky enough to get to somebody who said, ‘This is called endometriosis’ and they were able to treat me with antibiotics. But that’s because somebody knew what they were looking at.” 

But her good fortune is not shared by everyone who is forced to live with the disease because our healthcare system still remains partial to a woman’s health issues. 

“It drives me berserk that we are still constantly having to beg for health care. We pay taxes. Women pay taxes. I don’t understand why when doctors go to school forever, they’re not taught about a woman’s body. And then you have all of these people making these comments and you know [they] have no idea how this works.”

As highlighted by an incredulous Whoopi, it still takes 6-10 years for endometriosis to get diagnosed, no matter how obvious the pain or the symptoms are. But hopefully, because of celebrities like The View co-host who are ready to openly discuss suffering from the debilitating disease, the stigma around the disease will break, allowing easy and early treatments instead of years of living with the unbearable symptoms.