Nathan Congleton/NBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images
- Chrissy Teigen is getting endometriosis surgery today.
- The chronic condition can cause painful cramping, which Teigen compared to “baby kicks.”
- Endometriosis is typically managed with medication and can require surgery to remove scar tissue.
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
Four months after suffering a pregnancy loss, Chrissy Teigen is getting surgery to treat endometriosis.
Endometriosis is a condition that causes uterine-like tissue to grow outside of the uterus, resulting in painful period cramps and spotting, among other symptoms.
—chrissy teigen (@chrissyteigen) February 3, 2021
“I have surgery for endometriosis tomorrow…but the period feeling this month is exactly like baby kicks,” Teigen wrote in a tweet yesterday.
Teigen also shared that her late son Jack would’ve been born this week, so the kick-like cramps reminded her of him. She miscarried at the end of September after being hospitalized for excessive bleeding.
“I’ll pretend it’s him saying hi – it never stops,” Teigen captioned a video of her stomach moving, apparently due to cramps.
Endometriosis can cause severe cramps and scarring
Severe endometriosis cramps can feel like kicking or punching, Jessica Shepherd, MD, an OB-GYN in Texas, told Women's Health. While Shepherd has never heard anyone compare this pain to baby kicks, she said the condition can cause "occasional stabbing pain."
Endometriosis affects one out of every 10 women of reproductive age, or roughly 176 million women worldwide. It's most commonly diagnosed in women in their 30s and 40s. Teigen is 35.
The growth of endometrial tissue can lead to painful inflammation, scarring, and adhesions that bind the pelvic organs together. It's also associated with fertility problems and miscarriage.
It's a chronic condition that can be managed with medication and surgery
Endometriosis is a chronic disorder that can't be cured with a single treatment, Arnold Advincula, MD, chief of gynecology at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center, previously told Insider.
That being said, people with endometriosis can manage their pain with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like naproxen or ibuprofen, and try to minimize tissue growth with hormonal medications like Lupron.
If someone develops adhesions due to endometriosis, they might need surgery to remove the scar tissue.