Whoopi Goldberg candidly shared her personal battle with endometriosis on a recent episode of “The View,” adding her voice to the ongoing conversation about the often-overlooked women’s health issue.
During a segment featuring Hillary Clinton, who discussed her role as an executive producer for the documentary “Below the Belt,” Goldberg, at 67, opened up about her frustrations with the delayed diagnosis many women face with this condition. Endometriosis, which causes uterine tissue to grow outside the uterus, often results in severe cramping and chronic pain.
The outspoken co-host criticized the healthcare system for its sluggish response to women’s health issues, questioning the medical education system’s apparent lack of focus on women’s bodies. She recounted her own alarming symptoms that led to her endometriosis diagnosis, stressing the importance of not ignoring signs like she initially did with her urinary tract infection.
Goldberg was taken aback by the documentary’s revelation that it can take up to a decade for women to receive a proper diagnosis, expressing bewilderment at the gap in medical training and practice, Told Daily Mail.
“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. 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 explained. “And I was lucky enough to get to somebody who said, ‘This is called endometriosis’ and they were able to treat me with antibiotics. But that’s because somebody knew what they were looking at.”
The prevalence of endometriosis, affecting an estimated 10% of women, stands in stark contrast to the frequency with which it is properly diagnosed. According to Dr. Mary Jane Minkin, a recognized OB/GYN at Yale University School of Medicine, the elusive nature of endometriosis often evades detection during routine examinations and even ultrasounds, sometimes requiring diagnostic laparoscopy for confirmation.
The conversation underscored a shared experience among numerous celebrities, including Bindi Irwin, Lena Dunham, Halsey, Julianne Hough, Amy Schumer, and Padma Lakshmi, who have all spoken publicly about their struggles with endometriosis, bringing greater visibility to a condition that is common yet often misunderstood and misdiagnosed.
