Celebrities With Endometriosis & Vulvodynia

1 in 4 women in the UK experience some form of pelvic pain. And that includes celebrities. 

Two common causes of pelvic pain are endometriosis and vulvodynia. Endometriosis is a chronic condition where tissue similar to the uterus lining grows outside it. Vulvodynia causes persistent pain around the vulva for no identifiable reason. Both can be debilitating, and it can take several years to receive a diagnosis. Women are often told that the symptoms are normal or are misdiagnosed. 

That is finally beginning to change. Social media has connected millions of women around shared experiences. And, celebrities speaking openly about their diagnoses have helped bring conditions like endometriosis and vulvodynia into the mainstream. This has made it easier than ever for women to recognise their symptoms, seek help, and know they are not alone.

Daisy Ridley is one of them. Best known for playing Rey in Star Wars, she spent years managing endometriosis before going public with her diagnosis. Her message to other women is:

‘Keep on top of how your body is feeling and don't worry about sounding like a hypochondriac… we only have one body.’

What is Endometriosis?

Endometriosis is estimated to affect 1 in 10 women worldwide. It happens when cells similar to those lining the womb begin growing in other parts of the body, causing severe pain and inflammation. Symptoms often peak during menstruation, so it is often brushed off as ‘bad periods’.

Molly-Mae Hague, former Love Island star, described the pain as feeling like she'd ‘been in a car crash’ after her period. Despite suspecting something was wrong since she was 15, she wasn't diagnosed until she was 22. Emma Roberts had a similar experience. The American Horror Story actress suffered debilitating cramps throughout her teens, before a doctor finally took her seriously in her late twenties. By this point her fertility had already been affected.  

The consequences can be even more profound. Dolly Parton underwent a hysterectomy in 1984 after her endometriosis worsened. Many women wait over eight years from their first GP visit before receiving a proper diagnosis. Lena Dunham, the actress and writer best known for creating and starring in Girls, waited thirteen years, enduring multiple surgeries along the way.

Halsey, the American singer-songwriter and one of the condition's most outspoken advocates, has urged sufferers not to give up: 

‘If any of you suffer from endometriosis, please know you aren't alone. I know how excruciatingly painful and discouraging the disease can be.’

What is Vulvodynia?

Vulvodynia is less talked about than endometriosis - but that's part of the problem. The condition, which causes chronic vulval pain without a known cause, affects somewhere between 6 and 16% of women. Yet for many it remains an incredibly isolating condition.

Most people's only reference point is a throwaway plotline. When Sex and the City gave Charlotte a vulvodynia diagnosis back in 2001, her friends' response - ‘Vulvo-what-ia?’ - was played for laughs. The American National Vulvodynia Association was quick to highlight that the portrayal was deeply inaccurate. Particularly in suggesting the condition was easy to treat and mostly just uncomfortable.

Real life is considerably harder. Actress Zosia Mamet, best known for her role in Girls, spent six years feeling like she had the worst urinary tract infection of her life before finally receiving a diagnosis. Doctors told her she would have to come to terms with living the rest of her life in pain. It wasn't until she saw a female doctor that she was finally diagnosed. Her message since has been clear: don't let anyone tell you your pain isn't real.

The Pelvic Floor - What’s the connection? 

Endometriosis, vulvodynia, chronic pelvic pain - these conditions don't exist in isolation. Over time, living with persistent pain changes the way the body responds. Muscles that are repeatedly tensed against pain, or compensating for inflammation, can become tight, weakened, or uncoordinated. That's where the pelvic floor comes in.

The pelvic floor is a group of muscles that support the uterus, bladder and bowel. When these muscles are functioning well, most of us don't notice them at all. But for women living with chronic pelvic pain, they can become a source of dysfunction.

With endometriosis, chronic inflammation can cause the pelvic floor muscles to become overactive and tight. This can cause spasms, painful sex, constipation and urinary problems. Even after corrective surgery, these muscles can remain a secondary source of pain. Vulvodynia works similarly. Persistent pain causes the pelvic floor muscles to tense and contract, which amplifies the pain further. The good news is that the pelvic floor can be strengthened and retrained, sometimes helping to reduce symptoms.

What can I do about pelvic pain? 

If you're living with endometriosis, vulvodynia, or any form of chronic pelvic pain, it can feel like there are no easy answers. And while there is no one-size-fits-all solution, strengthening and retraining your pelvic floor can be an effective way to manage symptoms and improve your quality of life.

The starting point for most women is pelvic floor exercises - but over 30% of women perform them incorrectly. Tools like the Kegel8 Kegel Weights take the guesswork out of it entirely. With a unique indicator tail that moves in real time as you squeeze and lift, you can see immediately whether you're engaging the right muscles. The set includes three weighted cones to progressively build strength and endurance over time.

For women who struggle to produce an effective contraction at all - which is more common than you might think -  electrical stimulation can help. The Kegel8 Ultra 20 Electronic Pelvic Toner uses the body's own natural electrical signals to stimulate the pelvic floor muscles. This guarantees an effective workout every time with the push of a button.

Remember you're not alone

Pelvic pain is not a niche problem. It is not something to be embarrassed about, pushed through, or dismissed as a normal part of being a woman. It affects millions of women worldwide - across every age, background, and walk of life. Even women with every resource available to them, including some of the most famous faces in the world, have spent years being misdiagnosed, and left to manage debilitating pain in silence.

What Molly-Mae, Halsey, Dolly Parton, Zosia Mamet and countless others have shown is that speaking up matters. Seeking answers matters. Refusing to accept that pain is simply your lot in life matters.

If something doesn't feel right, trust that instinct. See a doctor. Seek a second opinion if you need to. And know that whether you are at the beginning of your journey or years into it, there are tools, treatments and communities that can help.