Amy Schumer Opens Up About Her Endometriosis Battle: It's A "Lonely Disease"
"I've been in so much pain, you know, my whole life — not just the week of my period," said Schumer.
In 2021, actor and comedian Amy Schumer revealed that she had surgery to remove her uterus and appendix because of endometriosis. Endometriosis is a disorder that causes endometrial tissue, AKA the tissue that lines the uterus, to grow outside of the uterus. Not only can this be incredibly painful, but it also can lead to infertility and other health complications.
Schumer, 41, has not been shy about her battle with the disease and recently gave an intimate interview with CBS News medical contributor Dr. David Agus for the new Paramount+ original docuseries, The Checkup with Dr. David Agus.
“I've been in so much pain, you know, my whole life — not just the week of my period," the Life & Beth star explained, adding that “it's been really difficult.” Schumer said she's been experiencing severe pain for decades since she first got her period.
Schumer had a hysterectomy, a removal of the uterus, to help treat her endometriosis, which she described during her CBS News interview as a “lonely disease.” She also had an appendectomy, explaining in an Instagram post that doctors found a tumor in her “endo-ravaged appendix.”
“You know, for months, I had been complaining of pain…it was just this pain you can't see. And, you know, there is the inclination to always think a woman is just being dramatic,” Schumer said in the interview.
Schumer said the scars from the surgeries are not even a worry because of the immediate relief she felt following the surgeries. She explained that the pain relief felt like she was a new person, and a better mom.
“It just felt like someone lifted this veil that had been over me. And I just felt like a different person… like a new mom,” said Schumer.
Schumer has been vocal about her journey with endometriosis, posting on Instagram about her pain and advocating for women to speak up when going to the doctor, noting that “your periods shouldn’t be painful.”
She continued, “... as women, we’re told that the words ‘drama queen,’ ‘stop being a pussy,’ ‘don’t be a little bitch,’ ‘you’re being a little girl’ — all these phrases, all of them, paint women as weak. Culturally, I just feel like I grew up believing that too. I assumed I was being a drama queen.”
She then went on say that women should speak up, even if it feels annoying or dramatic, because women’s health issues are often dismissed by doctors. But for Schumer and so many others, that pain is very real.
“Let me just tell you, my pain is real. Your pain is real. We have to advocate for ourselves, we have to speak up. And, you know what? I’m worried this video is annoying, but I don’t care, because I hope that it helps one woman go and find out why she’s in so much pain.”
The 30-minute episode featuring Schumer will be available to stream on Paramount+ starting Tuesday, Dec. 13.
