Lili Reinhart has opened up about a scary health journey that led to her endometriosis and adenomyosis diagnosis, revealing that a single word in a Google search made her cry in the middle of the night.
In a personal essay for Elle Magazine published Thursday March 12, Riverdale The 29-year-old actress detailed the long process of getting answers about the chronic bladder pain she suffered from.
Although she had seen about eight doctors, none had mentioned the possibility of endometriosis as a cause until her pelvic floor therapist brought it up.
“None of the eight doctors I saw before her told me about it,” she wrote.
She finally spoke to her urogynecologist, who referred her to a specialist in minimally invasive gynecological care. Tests followed, including an ultrasound and an MRI.
His initial results showed no endometriosis, but reported adenomyosis.
When Reinhart researched the disease, one listed symptom stopped her in her tracks: infertility.
“I wasn’t planning on getting pregnant in the next few years, but I know I want kids one day and all of a sudden my desires for my future felt disrupted,” she wrote.
She went home and woke up her boyfriend Jack Martin.
“He asked me what happened, but I didn’t have the words or the energy to explain it in the moment. He just held me while I cried from my pain, confusion and frustration.”
The path to a definitive answer has not been easy.
Her doctor discussed the possibility of a hysterectomy to manage the pain, while a second opinion from an endometriosis surgeon recommended laparoscopic surgery to further investigate.
Reinhart’s own gynecologist cautioned that the surgery might achieve nothing and that endometriosis often grows back, a particular concern given Reinhart’s interest in egg freezing.
She finally went ahead with the operation and the surgeon confirmed that she had endometriosis.
“In an instant, I felt validated. My pain, discomfort, and suffering for over a year was no longer an unknown question,” she wrote.
Reinhart recovered with the loved ones around her and felt well enough to travel to see her family during the holidays.
