Halsey Opens Up About Learning She Can Have Kids Despite Endometriosis

In the past decade or so, it seems more and more celebrities are opening up about their "invisible" illnesses. These often debilitating conditions — such as depression, anxiety, inflammatory bowel disease, and more — are often overlooked because many sufferers appear to be okay on the outside. But in reality, they're in intense pain — and often in silence. Which is why it's so important when big names shed light on these invisible illnesses. And recently, Halsey opened up about learning she can have kids after being diagnosed with endometriosis.

But first, a bit of background information is needed. The "Nightmare" singer, 24, has remained open about having endometriosis through her years of fame. According to the National Institute of Health, in women with endometriosis, tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other places of the body. In other words, this tissue builds up, sloughs off, and bleeds with your menstrual cycle — causing intense pain, irritation, cysts, and even fertility problems. Sounds pretty horrible, right? Unfortunately, 1 in 10 women suffer with the condition.

At one point, Halsey wasn't sure if she'd ever be able to have children. But recently, she found out motherhood could very well be in the cards for her after all. Because of lifestyle changes and surgery, Halsey's doctor informed her that egg freezing was no longer needed, according to E! Online. "I was like, 'Wait, what did you just say? Did you just say I can have kids?'' she told Rolling Stone. "It was like the reverse of finding out you have a terminal illness. I called my mom, crying."

During an episode of The Doctors in April 2018, Halsey discussed her endometriosis story. “Doctors can tend to minimize the female experience when it comes to dealing with [endometriosis],” Halsey said, according to Billboard. “My whole life, my mother had always told me, ‘Women in our family just have really bad periods.’ It was just something she thought she was cursed to deal with and I was cursed to deal with, and that was just a part of my life.”

She went on to explain that she ended up collapsing outside of her tour bus, was repeatedly misdiagnosed, and even experienced a miscarriage while performing onstage. That's when she "got really aggressive" about her treatment. In January 2017, Halsey had surgery to treat to treat her endometriosis. She also decided she was going to freeze her eggs.

“I’m 23 years old, and I’m going to freeze my eggs," Halsey said on The Doctors. "And when I tell people that, they’re like, ‘You’re 23, why do you need to do that? Why do you need to freeze your eggs?’ She continued:

Doing an ovarian reserve is important to me because I’m fortunate enough to have that as an option, but I need to be aggressive about protecting my fertility, about protecting myself.

As the Daily Mail reported in March, Halsey tweeted that she has suffered from multiple miscarriages because of her endometriosis. The tweets have since been deleted, for whatever reason. But still. "I have endometriosis," she wrote, according to the publication. "I’ve had 3 miscarriages, 4 surgeries, pretty much in pain every day of my life and I’ve donated/raised upwards of $300,000 in the name of research and support. I’m not trying to be quirky. Or different. I’m just trying to normalise an under-discussed illness."

I can't begin to imagine what Halsey has been through. Considering the intense pain, miscarriages, and surgeries she has endured through the years, though, I'm sure she was relieved when her doctor told her she'd be able to have children. Kudos to this brave woman for continuing to share her story — and for giving those who suffer from endometriosis a voice.