Lili Reinhart opened up about how fearful she was that infertility was a possibility before she was diagnosed with endometriosis.
In an essay for Elle magazine published on Thursday, March 12, Reinhart, 29, opened up about a series of medical tests and treatments she went through to get answers about the chronic bladder pain she endured.
“During one session, my pelvic floor therapist asked me if I had ever considered endometriosis as a cause of my symptoms. None of the eight or so doctors I had seen before her had mentioned it,” she wrote. “I hesitantly brought it up to my urogynecologist, not wanting to be dismissed. She seemed neutral about it, but gave me the name of a doctor who specialized in minimally invasive gynecologic care. I had an ultrasound, before being sent for an MRI.”
Reinhart’s initial results stated that no endometriosis was found, but there was adenomyosis, so the actress researched the condition. (Adenomyosis causes the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus to grow into the muscle wall of the uterus, per the Mayo Clinic.)
“I Googled the word ‘adenomyosis’ and was stopped cold by a symptom listed: infertility. I had no plans to become pregnant within the next few years, but I know I want kids eventually and suddenly the desires I had for my future felt disrupted,” the Riverdale alum reflected, adding that she sought comfort from boyfriend Jack Martin. “I went home, woke up my boyfriend and cried in his arms. He asked me what happened, but I didn’t have the words or energy to explain it in the moment. He just held me while I cried through my pain, confusion and frustration.”
After receiving the results, Reinhart had a call with her doctor who claimed that some women in the actress’ shoes “get a hysterectomy to manage their pain.” Reinhart admitted she was confused about her diagnosis since she didn’t experience many of the common symptoms. She sought out a second opinion from an endometriosis surgeon who recommended a “laparoscopic surgery” to determine if Reinhart had endometriosis.
Reinhart then consulted her gynecologist about the surgeon’s opinion. The doctor warned her the surgery might not find anything, adding that “endometriosis often grows back,” which could occur since Reinhart was interested in freezing her eggs amid her infertility worries.
The actress returned to the surgeon for a second pelvic examination. The doctor recommended the surgery again. Reinhart ultimately decided to get the surgery, where the surgeon confirmed 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 penned. “I went home with confirmed diagnoses of endometriosis and adenomyosis. My surgical photos were stapled together with pen marks circling the visible disease, including an unexpected cyst that was removed, along with two hernias. They also removed my appendix.”
Following the surgery, Reinhart rested with her loved ones by her side. She ended up being “well enough” to travel to see her family during the holidays. Reinhart also shared her diagnosis with her followers and countless expressed their similar stories to her.
“Sharing my experience led to a friend finally getting a diagnosis herself from my surgeon after being ignored by countless other doctors,” she wrote. “It’s heartbreaking and disturbing to see how universally women’s pain is ignored and pushed aside. I was lucky that my diagnosis didn’t take multiple years, which it often does.”
