Lili Reinhart has opened up about a terrifying health journey that led to her diagnosis with both endometriosis and adenomyosis, revealing that a single word in a Google search brought her to tears in the middle of the night.
In a personal essay for Elle magazine published Thursday, March 12 Riverdale actress, 29, detailed the lengthy process of trying to get answers about chronic bladder pain she had been experiencing.
Despite seeing about eight doctors, not one had raised the possibility of endometriosis as a cause until her pelvic floor therapist mentioned it.
“None of the eight or so doctors I had seen before her had mentioned it,” she wrote.
She eventually brought it up with her urogynecologist, who referred her to a specialist in minimally invasive gynecological treatment. Tests followed, including an ultrasound and an MRI.
Her initial results showed no endometriosis but did show adenomyosis.
When Reinhart researched the condition, one listed symptom stopped her in her tracks: infertility.
“I had no plans to get pregnant in the next few years, but I know I want kids eventually, and suddenly the desires I had 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 at the moment. He just held me as I cried through my pain, confusion and frustration.”
The path to a final answer was not straightforward.
Her doctor raised the possibility of a hysterectomy to manage pain, while another opinion from an endometriosis surgeon recommended laparoscopic surgery to investigate further.
Reinhart’s own gynecologist warned that the surgery might not find anything and that endometriosis often grows back, a particular concern given Reinhart’s interest in egg freezing.
In the end, she went ahead with the surgery 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 loved ones around him and was well enough to travel to see family over the holidays.
