Lili Reinhart reveals endometriosis diagnosis after years of dismissed symptoms
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Lili Reinhart is speaking candidly about a health battle she quietly fought for years, revealing this week that she has finally been diagnosed with endometriosis after multiple doctors dismissed her symptoms.
'The Riverdale' actress, 27, opened up to fans on December 11, sharing photos from a hospital bed and a post-surgery image of her abdomen following laparoscopic surgery, the procedure that ultimately confirmed what so many medical professionals had overlooked.
Her emotional message struck a chord with thousands who have endured similar struggles while trying to get doctors to take their pain seriously.
Lili Reinhart says years of symptoms were repeatedly brushed off
Reinhart did not hold back when describing how long she had been searching for answers.
“Last year, I saw a urogynecologist and was diagnosed with interstitial cystitis,” she wrote, explaining that she was told the condition was incurable and that no real treatment existed to relieve her chronic symptoms.
What followed was an exhausting cycle of emergency care and appointments that led nowhere.
“Three hospital visits. Multiple urologists and gynecologists. And not one of them seriously considered endometriosis as the underlying cause of what I was experiencing,” Reinhart shared.
Despite the lack of support, she kept pushing, something many women with undiagnosed reproductive disorders say they are forced to do just to be believed.
Pelvic floor therapists first mentioned endometriosis
What ultimately helped shift the path of her care wasn’t a surgeon, gynecologist, or urologist. It was two pelvic floor therapists who first suggested endometriosis might be the true source of her pain.
Reinhart said the idea finally made sense and gave her a direction no physician had offered her before. Still, the journey was far from straightforward.
Lili Reinhart pushed for her own MRI and specialist care
Reinhart revealed she had to advocate for testing on her own. “I pushed for an MRI on my own, which led to a diagnosis of adenomyosis,” she wrote.
That diagnosis eventually led her to an endometriosis specialist, who helped her choose laparoscopic surgery, the only way to definitively diagnose endometriosis.
But even then, she faced dismissive attitudes from the doctors who were supposed to help her. “Another gynecologist told me I ‘probably didn’t have endo’ and should just go on the pill,” she recalled.
Lili Reinhart urges others to trust themselves when doctors won’t listen
While the road was difficult, Reinhart said trusting herself made all the difference.
“I’m glad I trusted my body and listened to my gut and will continue advocating for others to do so,” she wrote.
She also highlighted how widespread and misunderstood the condition remains.
“Endometriosis is an extremely misunderstood disease, leaving often a 4–11 year gap between symptoms and a definitive surgical diagnosis,” she explained, noting that one in ten people with uteruses are estimated to have it, according to the WHO.
