Veteran actress Whoopi Goldberg spoke about her battle with endometriosis this week on “The View”. During Wednesday’s episode, Hillary Clinton joined as a guest to discuss her executive producer role in the documentary “Below the Belt,” which aims to raise awareness about endometriosis. The condition is characterized by the growth of uterine tissue outside the uterus.
Sharing her personal experience, Goldberg, aged 67, expressed frustration regarding the prevalent issue of women often receiving a diagnosis for endometriosis only after enduring the painful symptoms for an extended period, as reported by BET.
“It drives me berserk that we are still constantly having to beg for health care,” she said.
Goldberg, addressing the lack of awareness about women’s health, questioned why, despite women paying taxes and doctors undergoing extensive education, there is a notable absence of comprehensive education about the female body.
She emphasized the frustration of facing uninformed comments from individuals who lack an understanding of women’s health issues.
“And then you have all of these people making these comments and you know [they] have no idea how this works,” she added.
According to Everyday Health, approximately one in 10 women suffer from endometriosis. A study published in the February 2023 issue of the Journal of Clinical Medicine revealed that women may endure endometriosis for five to 10 years before receiving a diagnosis, often due to either the absence of symptoms or symptoms resembling other conditions.
Goldberg highlighted the significance of this issue by sharing her own lived experience with the condition.
“For me, I had it once. And I was lucky enough because I had a urinary tract infection that I did not take care of,” she said. “Note to people: don’t let that stuff go. Because stuff happens in your body and I ended up with what looked like — and I don’t mean to gross you out — but suddenly there was a smell and it looked like cottage cheese and I didn’t know what was going on.”
Goldberg believes that but for the infection that enabled her to have a timely diagnosis of endometriosis, she would have been suffering for the long haul.
Expressing disbelief at the prolonged time it takes for some to receive a diagnosis after watching Clinton’s documentary, she questioned the education provided in medical school.
Goldberg, along with other celebrities like Tia Mowry, Gabrielle Union, Robin Quivers, and Jessica Williams, is part of a group openly discussing their experiences with endometriosis, bringing attention to the challenges and delays in diagnosis that many women face.
