Bindi Irwin has revealed she’s finally on the mend after going through major double surgery, and what doctors found inside her body was nothing short of brutal.
In an emotional Instagram post, the 27-year-old wildlife conservationist explained: “Fifty-one endometriosis lesions, a chocolate cyst, and my appendix were all removed across two surgeries. I can FINALLY say that I’m feeling better. Genuinely healing. I can function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain.”
If you’ve never heard of a “chocolate cyst,” brace yourself. It’s not sweet, and it’s definitely not something you’d ever want to collect. These cysts form when endometriosis (a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows in the wrong places) makes its way onto the ovaries.
When that tissue bleeds and sheds with each cycle, the trapped blood turns dark brown, resembling melted chocolate. Hence the name.
The reality, though, is far from appetising. These ovarian endometriomas can cause intense pelvic pain, infertility, and, in severe cases, even rupture; something experts warn is as horrific as it sounds, per the Cleveland Clinic.
Endometriosis itself is far more common than many people realise. According to the Cleveland Clinic, it affects around 1 in 10 women worldwide. Of those, up to 44% may end up developing chocolate cysts. Despite those stats, the average woman waits nearly ten years before finally getting a diagnosis. Ten. Years.
Why? Because symptoms are so often brushed off. Crushing fatigue, heavy bleeding, bloating, nausea, pain during sex, and cramps so bad you could faint; too many women are told that’s just “normal” period stuff. Spoiler: it’s not.
“Stigma is lingering and alive,” says Dr. Tamer Seckin, a leading endometriosis specialist. “Nobody believes it when women have pain.” He explained that almost every woman he’s treated carries a story of being dismissed, ignored, or told they were exaggerating.
And Bindi knows that story all too well. Speaking on the A Life of Greatness podcast earlier this year, she revealed: “I went for 10 years undiagnosed because doctors really didn’t know enough. They diagnosed me with a million other things, like IBS, or hormones, or ‘It’s just part of being a woman.’ The symptoms continued to snowball, and it took me such a long time to find help.”
Her latest surgeries mark a huge step forward, but they also highlight how serious chocolate cysts can become. While small ones might only be monitored, larger cysts often need surgery. Left untreated, complications can include infertility, ovarian inflammation, constipation, and even an increased risk of ovarian cancer.
Treatment options vary; from hormone therapy (think birth control pills, IUDs, or patches) to laparoscopic surgery where doctors physically remove the cysts. But there’s no outright cure, as the National Health Service reports.
That’s why Bindi is determined to use her platform to raise awareness. In her post, she admitted she once felt ashamed: “I felt utterly ashamed as a teenager and young adult being told that my pain was just part of being a woman. I felt lesser. I felt hurt. I felt weak. Young girls and women shouldn’t feel alone with pain in the driver’s seat of their lives.”
She’s calling for open conversations and more research, and there’s already progress. In May, the Seckin Endometriosis Research Center opened in New York; the first major U.S. facility solely dedicated to the condition.
For Bindi, sharing her story is about turning pain into purpose. And for millions of women living with endometriosis, it’s another step toward finally being believed.