Former Bachelorette Angie Kent has opened up about her long-term battle with endometriosis again as March – which is Endometriosis Awareness Month – comes to a close.
Taking to Instagram on Sunday night the reality TV star encouraged her followers to ask her anything about her diagnosis, as she works to change the conversation and education around the condition.
One of the biggest questions from fans was about how she was diagnosed, as thousands of Australian women can suffer from endometriosis for years without even knowing.
“I also had nothing come up in my first ultrasound when my GP thought I had endometriosis,” the Dancing With The Stars: All Stars celeb said.
Angie Kent shared photos and honest confessions from her battle with endometriosis, which has seen her hospitalised countless times.
(Image: Instagram)
“I only found out I had it after a laparoscopy. Remember… period pain isn’t normal!”
Angie has previously explained how she suffered from debilitating period pain for years before she was diagnosed with endometriosis and has since had three surgeries in six years to treat the painful condition.
But there’s no cure for the disorder, which causes tissue similar to a woman’s uterine lining to grow outside of her uterus, and even surgery can’t put an end to the many painful and life-altering symptoms.
“Each day is totally different! Some days I feel fine and can conquer my chores, work, socialising, etc. and other days I feel I can’t do anything,” Angie told fans of how she manages the illness.
She added that she often works to avoid anything that may trigger her symptoms and tries not to beat herself up about it when things are rough.
“I’m only human so I do slip up and sometimes try a little too hard to have a ‘standard life’ with food/drink/socialising/taking on too much work, etc… but generally suffer the consequences.”
With much still unknown about the condition, the 32-year-old confessed that she can go from feeling fine to being crippled with pain in just a matter of days.
“Today I’m good, Friday I was not good… every day is a different day, but I just roll with the punches and see what’s going to happen,” she confessed.
The former Bachelorette then touched on the mental health impacts of conditions like endometriosis, explaining that it can take a huge toll on her mental wellbeing.
She focuses on “getting better at saying no” when she’s feeling unwell and “working on boundaries” so she doesn’t overexert herself on the good or bad days.
“Sit with it, process it and heal. You deserve it,” she urged followers.
Endometriosis can also have major implications for a woman’s family plans, as it can seriously affect her fertility – something Angie has definitely given some thought.
WATCH: Celebrities who have opened up about endometriosis. Story continues after video.
When a fan asked if the star hoped to one day have children, her answer was straight to the point.
“I 100 per cent do want kids in the future. I don’t know what that will look like for me; it may mean adopting, fostering, I may be able to have my own,” Angie replied.
The 32-year-old also revealed the laundry list of symptoms she’s been experiencing since being diagnosed with interstitial cystitis (IC), which included everything from the “constant feeling of having a UTI” to “bladder spasms” and “painful intercourse”.
“This is what it feels like… I would hate for anyone to see what it looks like. I have images from surgery. It looks like an internal blood bath,” she wrote.
Angie shared this long list of symptoms she’s experienced from interstitial cystitis.
(Image: Instagram)It was a surprise diagnosis for Angie, who already deals with endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), as the condition was discovered by accident during another surgery.
“All I know about IC is that it’s often undiagnosed for a long time, but it can cause a lot of nerve damage if it does go undiagnosed for too long,” Angie told Mamamia in February.
“Now I have an answer to why I have to pee every 45 seconds and why my pelvic/bladder pain can be out of this world.”
She added on Instagram that she is “not at that stage” in her endometriosis journey where a hysterectomy is something she needs to consider, though many women with advanced stages of the illness do.
Angie also told fans that she was done with reality TV for a while and would probably never go on a show like The Bachelor again, meaning we won’t be seeing her on Married At First Sight.
This is far from the first time she has spoken about her conditions, regularly speaking out in the hopes of raising awareness and helping educate other women so they can recognise possible symptoms and seek diagnoses of their own.
She also fosters a community of “Womb Warriors” – other women dealing with the same condition – online and shares updates as “we often feel so defeated and unsupported.”
