Gabrielle Union is willing to share more about her struggles with fertility. The actress recently revealed that she has adenomyosis.
“Everyone said ‘You’re a career woman, you’ve prioritized your career, you waited too long and now you’re just too old to have a kid — and that’s on you for wanting a career.’ The reality is I actually have adenomyosis,” Gabrielle told attendees at the 2018 #BlogHer conference in New York.
“The gag is I had it in my early 20s, and instead of someone diagnosing me they were like ‘Oh you have periods that last 9 or 10 days and you’re bleeding through overnight pads? Not a mere inconvenience perhaps there’s something more there.'”
The doctor’s answer to Gabrielle’s problem was birth control. “Every doctor I saw was like let me put you on birth control,” she explained to the crowd. “The catch all,” Gabrielle added. “Note: if you are on birth control for anything other than birth control, to address or treat any sort of period issue you are not actually treating or addressing a period or reproductive issue. You are masking it.”
For those who do not know, adenomyosis is a condition that causes endometrial tissue to exist and grow within the wall of the uterus. The condition is common in the United States with upwards of 200,000 women affected every year. The good news is that adenomyosis is treatable. The not-so-wonderful news is that the only absolute cure is a hysterectomy.
“Judgment renders so many of us immobile,” Gabrielle said of her experience with the adenomyosis and infertility. “When I think of the antics that my fertility doctors would go through to make sure no one would see me in the lobby,” she said. “Just know if you are out there having fertility issues — you are not alone.”
Gabrielle Union delves into her struggles to start a family with her husband, Dwyane Wade, in her powerful memoir, We’re Going To Need More Wine. Get your copy of the book here!
Photo: Getty Images
