Savannah Chrisley is speaking out about her years-long battle with endometriosis, a medical condition that causes the abnormal growth of tissue outside the uterus.
On Sunday, September 27, the 23-year-old Chrisley Knows Best star posted a 10-minute video detailing her challenging experience with endometriosis, titled “Something That’s Real. A Savannah Chrisley Story.” Along with the clip, Chrisley shared a caption that urged people to “not remain silent any longer” on the matter. She also said that it’s time “to fight and persist until endometriosis is accepted and taken seriously” by the masses.
“I feel, like, you’ve always been told, like, that time of the month is extra painful and it’s made to seem, like, it’s this horror story. So, for a while, I thought that it was normal and then a part of me was like, ‘OK, I just don’t feel right,’” she explained in her video. “So, I had actually had another doctor put an IUD in because I had extremely painful periods. She said that if she put the IUD in, it would help with that. I just remember being in excruciating pain.”
She continued, “I went to another doctor here in Nashville and he couldn’t find the IUD. He did an ultrasound and he found that the IUD had broken apart and perforated my uterus. So, at that time, he was like, ‘We have to do emergency surgery now.’ And since he was already doing the surgery, he went ahead and looked laparoscopically and said that I had endometriosis.”
Chrisley admitted that she “didn’t know” what endometriosis was at the time of her diagnosis, but a doctor explained the condition to her in “very simple terms.” However, she “lost it” upon eventually learning that her endometriosis could affect her ability to become a mother someday. “I called my dad [Todd Chrisley] after the appointment and I just started crying cause the thoughts for me of not being able to have kids just completely destroyed me because I knew that that was something I was supposed to do,” she said. “When you’re told that, it’s kind of hard to have faith in the process.”
The Growing Up Chrisley star was put on a new medication for six months to help alleviate her endometriosis, but it was a “brutal” process for her. Not only did the medicine cause her to experience hot flashes and sore bones, but she also gained 30 pounds — a change that caused her to feel “extremely depressed” and “extremely self-conscious” overall.
“For me, there’s been a lot of times throughout this journey that I’ve felt alone and hopeless,” she explained. “I think the point of me doing this and telling you about my journey is so you don’t feel alone. We’re in this together. I’m going through it with you and we’re gonna get to the bottom of it.”
Savannah was diagnosed with endometriosis when she was 18. She endured her third surgery tied to the condition in August, during which she had a “huge cyst” removed.
Earlier this month, Savannah announced her split from Nic Kerdiles nearly two years after getting engaged. “Nic and I have decided to call it quits. There’s no hatred between the two of us … and in all honesty … that makes saying goodbye even harder,” she wrote via Instagram on September 15. “We have nothing but love, respect, and admiration for one another but it’s time for us to move forward individually.”
The reality star continued, “These past 3 years have been some of the best years of my life…but I have to trust that God has a far greater purpose for my life…I believe that He will take this hardship and make something beautiful out of it. Now please be kind with this news that I am sharing.”
