Jessica Williams opens up about her endometriosis, warns that severe period pain is ‘not normal’
In her latest interview with Essence, actress and comedian Jessica Williams got real about her struggle with stage 4 endometriosis.
"I've definitely been to the ER for my endometriosis," she shared.
The cover star has struggled with endometriosis for 12 years and described the pain as "debilitating."
According to the U.S. Office on Women's Health, endometriosis is a condition that occurs when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside of the uterus, most commonly on the ovaries and fallopian tubes. The growths can also occur on the cervix, vagina, bowel, bladder or rectum. On rare occasions, endometriosis can appear on other parts of the body, such as the lungs, brain and skin.
It's estimated to affect more than 11% of American women between 15 and 44 years old.
The condition has inspired The Incredible Jessica James star to advocate for women of color and their health, encouraging them to speak up about anything that doesn't feel right.
"You shouldn't be having severe period pain — that's not normal," Williams stressed.
There is currently no cure for endometriosis, but there are treatments to help manage the symptoms. However, after going to the ER, Williams shared: "It turns out there wasn't really much that could be done — because it's women's reproductive health, and they don't know a lot about endometriosis."
This isn't the first time Williams has been candid about her struggle with endometriosis and encouraged other women to be their own health advocate. In 2018, she posted on Instagram: "People have a hard time believing women are in pain and they ESPECIALLY have a hard time believing that women of color are experiencing pain. So it may take multiple doctors to even get an endometriosis diagnosis — which is bananas."
She said that she felt "relief" when a doctor finally acknowledged the pain she must be in. "But I also felt really sad for all of the pain that I had ignored and set aside for so long.”
Other celebrities have been open about their reproductive health in the past as well.
In an interview with The Guardian, singer-songwriter FKA Twigs shared her struggles with uterine fibroids.
Uterine fibroids are noncancerous growths of the uterus that can cause pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, anemia, pain during sex and even infertility.
According to the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH), 20-25% of women of reproductive age have fibroids.
"If loads of people have it, why hadn't I heard of it? If this is something that's not a big deal, why is it an actual hell living in my body right now?" said Twigs, who had laparoscopic surgery to remove six of the non-cancerous tumors from her uterus in 2018.
Black women are three times more likely to get uterine fibroids. While there are fewer endometriosis studies among Black women, research suggests that they have a predisposition for uterine implants of endometriosis.
In 2020, then-senator Kamala Harris introduced the Uterine Fibroid Research and Education Act, a bill aimed at addressing this common health issue by providing more funding for research and education on uterine fibroids.
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