Bindi Irwin undergoes surgery for endometriosis after 10 years of pain

Bindi Irwin has had major surgery for endometriosis in the United States.

The daughter of the late Steve ‘the Crocodile Hunter’ Irwin spoke for the first time about her decade-long battle with the disease in a lengthy Instagram post Wednesday morning.

The 24-year-old conservationist, who shares daughter Grace Warrior with husband Chandler Powell, also posted a confrontational photo of herself in a hospital bed after surgery.

The Crikey! It’s the Irwins star who said she was torn for 10 years [by] the pain” and knew she needed surgery because she “couldn’t live the way I was.”

She also explained how the surgeon at New York’s Seckin Endometriosis Center discovered and removed a total of 37 lesions and a “chocolate cyst” — a term for a cyst filled with menstrual blood.

The 24-year-old conservationist, who shares daughter Grace with husband Chandler Powell, (both pictured) spoke for the first time on Wednesday about her years-long battle with the disease

Endometriosis is an often painful condition in which the tissue that lines the uterus also grows outside the uterus.

There is a wide variety of symptoms: pain can affect areas ranging from the abdomen and lower back to the pelvis and vagina.

Other symptoms include painful intercourse, abnormal periods, nausea, bloating, and pain with bowel movements.

Bindi was initially unsure if she wanted to discuss her health publicly, but decided to speak out because she wanted to help other women struggling with endometriosis.

She also wanted to draw attention to the fact that doctors often don’t take the condition seriously enough, noting how a doctor had once told her that pain was just a normal part of being a woman.

‘For 10 years I have been struggling with insurmountable fatigue, pain and nausea. Trying to stay a positive person and hide the pain has gone a long way,” she began.

“The last 10 years there have been a lot of tests, doctor visits, scans, etc.”

Bindi continued, “A doctor told me it’s just something you have to deal with as a woman and I completely gave up and tried to function through the pain.

“I didn’t find answers until a friend, Leslie Mosier, helped me get my life back. I decided to have an operation for endometriosis.’

She said that “going in for surgery was scary, but I knew I couldn’t live the way I was,” adding that “every” aspect of her life was “torn apart” because of the pain.

“Long story short, they found 37 lesions, some very deep and difficult to remove, and a chocolate cyst,” she continued.

Bindi revealed that her surgeon’s first words to her after she woke up from the procedure were, “How did you live with so much pain?”

More to come.