Understanding Endometriosis & Cancer Risk
- Singer-songwriter Halsey, who previously opened up about a struggle with endometriosis, feels “lucky to be alive” amid battling an unspecified health issue, just one day after releasing a new single “The End.”
- Endometriosis occurs when tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of the uterus, known as the endometrium, grows on the outside of the uterus. It often brings debilitating pain and can often be difficult to diagnose.
- Although endometriosis and endometrial cancer cause similar symptoms, they are not the same. In the case of endometrial cancer, the endometrial cells lining the uterus become cancerous, while endometriosis is benign, or non-cancerous.
- Although endometriosis isn’t curable, its symptoms can be managed for a better quality of life. Treatment may include surgery, hormone treatments, or pain medications.
The New Jersey native, who previously opened up about her struggle with endometriosis (an often painful condition in which tissue similar to the tissue that normally lines the inside of your uterus grows outside your uterus), took to social media on Tuesday to share a health update and offer fans some insight into how she’s been struggling.
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She wrote alongside the footage, “Long story short, I’m Lucky to be alive. Short story long, I wrote an album. It begins with The End. Out now.”
Although we know Halsey has endometriosis, she hasn’t confirmed what “sickness” she’s been dealing with recently aside from tagging the Leukemia/Lymphoma and Lupus pages
In another video shared in the post, Halsey explained she was going through her first treatment, but didn’t disclose exactly what type of treatment or what was being treated.
Despite the health issue she’s been battling, she has still been able to work on her music and announced on Monday that her song was set for release.
Halsey captioned the post, “I’m releasing the first song off my 5th album tomorrow 6/04 at 9am pt / 12 et. Before the first single comes, I wanted to share this. It means a lot to me and I love it.
“Let’s try something different this time and start at “The End.”
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Halsey’s Battle With Endometriosis
Halsey, a mom of one, previously opened up about her struggle with endometriosis on social media back in 2016. Two years later, she said at an event, as per People, “I can’t pretend anymore that just because I’m a pop artist and I’m touring that everything’s perfect and everything’s all good and my skin’s always great and I’m fit and my outfits are always perfect.
If any of my fans or followers have #endometriosis 💛 having a rough time today. laying in bed thinking of you. pic.twitter.com/LOQVn5BsSg
— h (@halsey) January 29, 2016
“Sometimes I’m bloated, I’m on an I.V., I’m sick, I’m on medicine, and I’m backstage, terrified that I’m going to bleed through my clothes in the middle of my show. That’s the reality of it,” she explained at the Endometriosis Foundation of America’s ninth annual Blossom Ball.
Many women, like Halsey, are living with endometriosis as it affects approximately 2 to 10% of American women ranging in age between 25 and 44, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
“Reproductive things is not really something people want to talk about, it’s kind of considered a taboo thing. Growing up, I know for me, periods were always these hidden thing,” Halsey added. “You’re sneaking to the bathroom in high school with your tampon tucked up your sleeve. God forbid someone saw it. And because of that, people aren’t really open about the pain, they’re worried people are going to belittle them.
“[I’m] trying to normalize the conversation and say, ‘It’s okay to talk about reproductive illness, this doesn’t make you weak, this makes you strong and you should be proud and vocal,” the singer added. “And the more you talk about it, the more likely you’re going to help one of your friends who might not know that they have it because they may be afraid of speaking about it, too.”
Back in 2017, after undergoing surgery, Halsey commented on how “mentally exhausting and physically painful” the condition is.
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“If you suffer from chronic pain or a debilitating disease please know that I have found time to live a crazy, wild, rewarding life AND balance my treatment and I hope so much in my heart that you can too,” the singer wrote in a since-deleted social media post, according to People.
In 2022, Halsey attended the 2022 Grammy Awards after undergoing additional surgery for endometriosis.
At the time, she wrote on Instagram, “As luck would have it, I’m attending tomorrow for the first time in years and I had surgery again (you guessed it) three days ago. Only posting this to say, if you see me be gentle lol I’m fragile. Fragile but excited.”
Expert Resources On Coping With a Diagnosis and Mental Health
What is Endometriosis?
Confusion may exist about whether endometriosis is linked to cancer, but there’s no research that connects the two together. Although endometriosis may present symptoms similar to endometrial cancer, it is “not cancer,” OB/GYN and oncologist at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Dr. Bobbie Rimel previously told SurvivorNet.
“Endometriosis is the term for whenever those endometrial cells, those lining of the uterus cells, are outside of their normal place, which is inside the uterus,” Dr. Rimel explained, again adding that it is a benign condition, which means non-cancerous.
Dr. Bobbie Rimel explains the difference between endometrial cancer and endometriosis.
“Endometrial cancer is actually when cells of the lining of the uterus become cancerous and begin to invade the uterus wall,” Dr. Rimel continued. “[The cancer cells] may spread to the fallopian tubes, to the ovaries or the lining of the pelvis or elsewhere in the body.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, endometriosis usually occurs on or near reproductive organs in the pelvis or abdomen, can be found in other areas such as the fallopian tubes, ligaments around the uterus (uterosacral ligaments), lining of the pelvic cavity, ovaries, outside surface of the uterus, space between the uterus and the rectum or bladder.
In rare circumstances, it can also grow on and around the bladder, cervix, intestines, rectum, stomach (abdomen), and vagina or vulva.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Endometriosis often causes severe pain in the pelvis, especially during menstrual periods. Some people also have pain during sex or when using the bathroom. Some people have trouble getting pregnant.
“Some people with endometriosis don’t have any symptoms. For those who do, a common symptom is pain in the lower part of the belly (pelvis). Pain may be most noticeable during a period, during or after sex, when urinating or defecating.”
Some people may also experience the following symptoms:
- Chronic pelvic pain
- Heavy bleeding during periods or between periods
- Trouble getting pregnant
- Bloating or nausea
- Fatigue
- Depression or anxiety
Dr. Dana Chase explains when symptoms may indicate endometrial cancer.
Endometriosis Treatment
One of the signature identifiers for endometriosis is the severe pain it brings. Although endometriosis isn’t curable, its symptoms can be managed for a better quality of life.
According to the National Institutes of Health, hormone therapy can be an effective treatment option to manage pain.
“Hormone treatments stop the ovaries from producing hormones, including estrogen, and usually prevent ovulation,” the NIH explains. By cutting off estrogen, the activity of the endometrium and endometrial lesions slows down.
Surgery is an option for severe cases where pain is intolerable. Surgeons can remove endometriosis lesions (also called patches) of endometrial tissue often found in the pelvis.
Pain medications are also an option to manage symptoms.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor
- What might my symptoms mean? What plan can we make to deal with them?
- Are other treatment options available in my situation?
- What will the timeline for my treatment look like?
- What literature can you give me about my treatment plan?
Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff
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