Lena Dunham Just Shared a Swimsuit Snap to Show Off Her Endometriosis Scars

Photograph courtesy of Snapchat/Lena Dunham

Lena isn’t alone: About five million American women suffer from endometriosis, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The condition can cause cysts and scar tissue to develop, and often leaves women in severe pain.

Lena has spoken about endometriosis several times, writing a story for her Lenny newsletter in 2015 about how much it’s impacted her life. “My sex life started to suffer,” she wrote. “The misplaced endometrial tissue had caused swelling and scarring that made intercourse feel way too much like the first time. And if you have a lovely and sensitive partner, making you feel like an anxious virgin biweekly does not turn him on.”

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She publicly announced in February that she was taking time off to rest due to the condition. “As many of you know I have endometriosis, a chronic condition that affects approximately one in 10 women’s reproductive health,” she wrote on Instagram. “I am currently going through a rough patch with the illness, and my body (along with my amazing doctors) let me know, in no uncertain terms, that it’s time to rest.”

Since then, Lena has opened up more about the condition, including her treatment, which she discussed in April. “Every single woman’s methods for getting better are different,” she said at an event for the Endometriosis Foundation of America, per People. “So what works for one woman may absolutely not for another. Obviously, excision surgery like what I’ve had twice…is really effective. But it’s something many women will have to battle with for their whole reproductive lives.” (Excision surgery involves cutting away the endometrial tissues from the surfaces where they don’t belong.)

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Kudos to Lena for being so open about a condition that impacts so many—and embracing her scars along the way.