Olivia Culpo ‘knew there was something wrong’ with her before her endometriosis diagnosis: ‘It was a really frustrating experience’
Olivia Culpo ‘knew there was something wrong’ with her health before she was diagnosed with endometriosis.
The former Miss Universe, 28, admitted she was suffering tremendously before finding out her ailment, a painful but surprisingly common condition which affects the uterus.
Olivia opened up in to Shape, telling the magazine she was in ‘agony’ before her diagnosis about ‘a year-and-a-half ago.’
Healing: Olivia Culpo said that she was in ‘agony’ before figuring out her endometriosis diagnosis last year
‘It was a really frustrating experience, which is one reason I’m so passionate about talking about it,’ she told the health and wellness magazine.
‘I knew there was something wrong before that,’ she said. ‘I had gone to a number of doctors in agony — crying, shaking. When you’re living with chronic pain, you don’t know if you want to throw up or just curl into a ball and cry.’
It took a ‘six-month journey’ for the star to get down to the bottom of it.
It was just in the nick-of-time for Culpo, whose fertility could have been compromised if her diagnosis and treatment was delayed any longer.
‘Good thing, because my condition was advanced, and she needed to check my eggs immediately to make sure my fertility was intact,’ she explained.
She knew: ‘I knew there was something wrong before that,’ she said. ‘I had gone to a number of doctors in agony — crying, shaking. When you’re living with chronic pain, you don’t know if you want to throw up or just curl into a ball and cry’
Holistic: ‘Right now, I’m trying to figure out new ways to heal holistically through what I’m eating and the rest that I’m giving myself,’ she said
Olivia is trying to find holistic ways to deal with her condition at the moment.
‘Right now, I’m trying to figure out new ways to heal holistically through what I’m eating and the rest that I’m giving myself,’ she said.
‘I’m also exploring acupuncture, massages, Chinese herbal medicine, and maybe cutting out caffeine. I’m going to actively try to help people who live with this and not just talk about my experience.’
Olivia said she’s been touched by how many people have reached out to her since she revealed her endo diagnosis on Instagram in August.
Ouch: Olivia publicly revealed her diagnosis over the summer via her Instagram Story
‘It was something that I was nervous to share because I really didn’t know if people would be familiar with the condition, and it turns out a lot of women are,’ she said.
Now her goal is to bring awareness to the issue, urging women to do ‘their due diligence and get their egg count checked, making sure that if they do have painful periods, that it’s not something that’s affecting their ovaries or their egg.’
‘Down the line, it’s so heartbreaking when you think about someone who maybe could have taken action earlier, and now they can’t have children,’ she continued. ‘That to me just feels awful.’
Olivia publicly revealed her diagnosis over the summer via her Instagram Story, telling her followers: ‘I’ve never publicly said this before but I have endometriosis. Anyone else reading this have Endo? No fun.’