Bindi Irwin Recalls Her Private Pain After Endometriosis Diagnosis: ‘I Was on Fire Inside’

Bindi Irwin understands the frustrations women face when doctors fail to properly diagnose their maladies. “For 10 years I had pain, nausea, fatigue, and the doctors would diagnose me with things like hormone problems, all these things,” she exclusively told Closer at the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s 12th annual Blossom Ball in NYC on May 3. “And no matter what I did, they couldn’t pinpoint the problem.”

The issue only got worse after she gave birth to “miracle baby” Grace, her daughter with husband of four years Chandler Powell, in 2021. “It was a snowball effect that I cannot possibly describe,” said the Australian television personality and conservationist. “It was like I was on fire inside and it was really scary because doctor after doctor didn’t know what the problem was. I had been tested for everything.”

Finally, the 25-year-old learned through a friend’s experience that she might have endometriosis. The disease, which affects approximately one in 10 American women, causes lesions on the female reproductive system, resulting in pain and, sometimes, infertility. Bindi underwent surgery on a trip to the U.S. to remove lesions and a cyst. Now feeling better, she’s advocating for eduction for physicians: “If a woman comes in and says, ‘I’m in agonizing pain,’ don’t send them home saying you need a cup of tea and a lie-down, hear their pain.”