'It is a universal question for women.' What Bindi Irwin wishes people would stop asking.

Bindi Irwin would very much like everyone to stop asking her about having another child.

Yes, it's absurd that this needs to be pointed out — let's not ask about other people's reproductive choices! — but Irwin feels an added poignancy after opening up about her endometriosis earlier this year.

"I feel like it is a universal question for women, which is heartbreaking because you never know what's going on in someone's life and what's happening behind closed doors," she told People in an August 2023 cover story interview.

"And someone asking you, 'Why aren't you having more children? It's your responsibility to have more children.' It breaks your heart because we all have a different journey and a different story."

The 25-year-old first revealed her health journey in March and admitted that "trying to remain a positive person and hide the pain has been a very long road".

Endometriosis is a condition in which the tissue similar to the inner lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus.

Watch Bindi Irwin talk about the reality of living with endometriosis. Post continues after video. 

In her People interview, Irwin said she and husband Chandler Powell felt extremely lucky to have two-year-old daughter Grace.

"I think that every day I wake up and I look at our beautiful daughter and think she is our tiny little miracle and it makes me cry because we were very, very lucky to have her," she said.

"And there was every chance that we wouldn't have been able to have a little one, so to have our beautiful girl, we are so lucky. And I wish more people would pause before asking, 'Why aren't you having more children?'"

Irwin opened up further about her diagnosis in May, sharing a video to Instagram after questions from her followers.

She said she knew something was wrong from about 14 years old. 

"I was getting extreme fatigue, nausea, pain," she explained. "Many people think with endometriosis, you only get symptoms during your period. I had pain every single day of my life and it really started when I was 14 years old. Suddenly, no matter where we went or what we were doing, I would just be falling asleep wherever we were. And I also felt constantly like I had the flu."

Irwin added she believes her female relatives also have endometriosis after she began comparing all of their symptoms. 

"It's interesting how, when you have a period, you kind of compare your period to the people around you and closest to you. And often that's your mother, your grandmother, your aunt – we all had very similar symptoms." 

The 24-year-old shared she underwent "every blood test you could possibly imagine", CT scans, MRIs and ultrasounds in an effort to get to the bottom of the issue, also telling People doctors ruled out "every tropical disease, Lyme disease, cancer, you name it" before landing on endo.

"It's so hard because you feel like it's inescapable," she said. "You don't know what's wrong with you, and then when people tell you 'it's all in your head' or 'you're hormonal' or 'just have a cup of tea, lay down,' you end up feeling so desperately alone because there are no answers."

Irwin suffered in an agonising silence until she gave birth to Grace in 2021. Because, as she described on Instagram, the pain "magnified... out of this world.

"I had a pain in my pelvis, pains in my belly, every day. But every now and then, the pain would get so much that it would literally just knock me over," she said. 

Irwin began to cry when she recalled the "countless times of Grace needing me, and me crawling to her cot at night".

She said, "I can remember being with Grace and lying on the floor in agony. I had a stabbing pain in my side. I couldn't get up, or I would throw up. And I was scared I would pass out.

"I was so scared because I was worried if I was alone with Grace, something would happen to me and she would be on her own."

After encouragement from a friend, Irwin underwent an invasive laparoscopic surgery, which is the only reliable way to diagnose the condition.

During the excision surgery, doctors found 37 lesions and a "chocolate cyst" filled with endometrial fluid. 

After months of recovery, Irwin spoke positively about what the future holds. 

"I can officially say that I'm finally feeling better, which is truly extraordinary and something that I actually never thought that I would say," she said. "I feel like I got a second chance at life … I feel like a new woman."

She explained that the validation of a diagnosis and surgery for the years of pain she had to suffer felt "indescribable".

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The mother-of-one has had "thousands and thousands of people" reach out to her with their own experiences with endometriosis and said it is vital to "educate the public" about the illness. 

"There needs to be a huge shift in our healthcare system," she said, "I really hope there is a shift within society to be able to give people with endometriosis the tools that they need — not only for diagnosis but more access to surgery, more access to being able to afford these surgeries."

She added, "I mean, my goodness. It is such a toll on families to be able to go out and get this diagnosis… My fear of them not finding anything [during surgery] was really, really, really taking over my life. I was so scared.

"But I'm very thankful that my family is so supportive. Not everybody is lucky to have a supportive family, so we need to have a better system so that people don’t feel so isolated and alone. Endometriosis is a very lonely disease. We need to be able to rally around people with endo."

Feature Image: Instagram/@bindisueirwin.

This post was originally published on March 8 2023 and has since been updated with new information.