Olivia Culpo spoke about her struggles with endometriosis on Sunday in a new promotional clip for her TLC series The Culpo Sisters.
‘Endometriosis wreaked havoc on my life,’ the actress/model, 30, told her 5.2 million Instagram followers in a clip ahead of Monday’s broadcast, adding that it took her ‘years and years and years to finally get a diagnosis.’
The Rhode Island native said she remembered ‘not being able to function’ and suffered the ‘type of pain that kept [her] in bed all day,’ but was not able to get an immediate diagnosis.
The latest: Olivia Culpo, 30, spoke about her struggles with endometriosis on Sunday in a new promotional clip for her TLC series The Culpo Sisters
‘I went to doctor after doctor after doctor, I was told by every single doctor I went to – dozens – that my periods were normal that pain is normal that discomfort is normal that I just need to take medicine,’ Culpo said, noting that she ‘was prescribed all sorts of things and the pain was not getting any better.’
The one-time Miss Universe said she ‘was almost made to feel like [she] was making up [her] symptoms and overreacting,’ which was ‘very painful physically and also emotionally, because [her] pain was never validated.’
Culpo, who has been dating Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, 26, for three years, added: ‘I knew something was wrong with my body.’
In a caption on the Instagram post, Culpo expounded on her frustration prior to being diagnosed with endometriosis.
Candid: The actress/model, 30, opened up about the topic to her 5.2 million Instagram followers in a clip ahead of Monday’s broadcast
Struggle: Culpo said she ‘was prescribed all sorts of things and the pain was not getting any better’
‘In today’s society, women are not empowered to be the expert of our own body,’ she said. ‘Being made to feel like my chronic pain was an overreaction was disheartening and confusing. Who was I to disagree with not one, not two, but many highly educated and well-intending doctors?’
She credited information she received on ‘Reddit forums, YouTube videos, and Instagram accounts’ that ‘validated’ her instincts that she had been misdiagnosed.
‘After dozens of wrong turns, I finally landed on the truth, which was that I had severe endometriosis and needed surgery if there was any hope to salvage my reproductive organs,’ Culpo said. ‘If it wasn’t for those who shared their stories on random blog posts, I never would have found the courage to keep advocating for myself.’
She said that it was ‘a gift to be able to pay it forward by sharing’ her story, and hoped to empower others in their health journeys.
Recall: Culpo said, ‘I went to doctor after doctor after doctor, I was told by every single doctor I went to – dozens – that my periods were normal that pain is normal that discomfort is normal that I just need to take medicine’
Research: She credited information she received on ‘Reddit forums, YouTube videos, and Instagram accounts’ that ‘validated’ her instincts that she had been misdiagnosed
Moving forward: She said that it was ‘a gift to be able to pay it forward by sharing’ her story, and hoped to empower others in their health journeys
‘I hope that if nothing else this is a reminder to trust yourself above all and fight for yourself even if it feels like you’re a one woman army!’ she said. ‘I love hearing your stories over DM so much- so grateful for our little endo community on here.’
On her TLC show last week, Culpo said she feels under pressure to have kids ‘ASAP.’
Culpo said her battle with endometriosis – which can cause fertility issues – led her to worrying ‘about [her] timeline.
‘Endometriosis can affect your fertility in a lot of different ways,’ she said. ‘There is so much that I don’t know about what’s going to happen in the future with that condition and I worry all the time about my timeline. I feel like I have to have kids ASAP.’
