A painful health condition increasingly common in young women – and a radical treatment option – were prevented Dolly Parton of becoming a mother.
The The country music icon died on Tuesday at the age of 80 after a short battle with cancerits representatives have confirmed.
She is survived by six siblings and a large family of nieces and nephews, but the 9 to 5 hitmaker never had children of her own.
More than four decades ago, Parton announced that she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, a debilitating reproductive condition that causes tissues similar to those in a woman’s uterus to grow elsewhere in the body.
This excess tissue causes excruciatingly painful periods, excessive bleeding and, in about half of people with the condition, infertility.
Leading up to her diagnosis in 1982, at the age of 36, Parton described having to cancel a major tour due to severe abdominal and pelvic pain and bleeding. She also suffered from digestive problems.
In 1984, the singer underwent a partial hysterectomy to remove her uterus — which can help relieve some symptoms of endometriosis — which stopped menstruation. However, this meant that she could never become pregnant and have her own children.
“I physically can’t have children,” she told Gloria Steinem in 1987. ‘I love children. I don’t know if it wasn’t God’s will either, you know, that I shouldn’t have children.
Legendary country music star Dolly Parton, who died this week at the age of 80, was open about her experiences with endometriosis and infertility. She is pictured above in 2018
In 1984, the singer underwent a partial hysterectomy to remove her uterus, which can help relieve some symptoms of endometriosis. Parton is pictured above circa 1981
“I mean, I try to look at things in a way that I can put them in the right place because there has to be someone doing something to entertain other people’s children.”
The CDC estimates that between six and ten percent of women of childbearing age in the US have endometriosis, with the diagnosis most commonly diagnosed between the ages of 15 to 24 and between 35 and 49.
And about 25 to 50 percent of them suffer from infertility due to damage to the pelvic organs and procedures such as hysterectomies to reduce symptoms.
In endometriosis, endometrial tissue, which lines the lining of the uterus, grows in other parts of the body, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, intestines, and bladder.
During a woman’s menstrual cycle, the endometrial tissue behaves similarly to the uterine lining: it thickens and bleeds.
This misplaced tissue cannot leave the body, leading to scar tissue called adhesions.
Adhesions cause the pelvic organs to stick together or fuse, causing cysts and obstructions. Scar tissue can also block the fallopian tubes, making it difficult for eggs and sperm to meet during reproduction, making it impossible to become pregnant.
Dolly Parton speaks to children at the launch of her Imagination Library book project at the Magna Center in Sheffield, England in 2007
The most common symptoms are extremely painful menstrual cramps, heavy bleeding during menstruation, abdominal and back pain, pain during sex and digestive problems such as diarrhea, constipation and bloating.
People with a family history of endometriosis, as well as those with longer periods and who have never given birth, are at increased risk, which experts say is due to the fact that they are constantly exposed to estrogen that stimulates the growth of endometrial tissue.
Endometriosis has also been on the rise in the US as of late Epic research data This shows that the number of diagnoses increased by 32 to 42 percent between 2017 and 2024. The largest increase – 44 percent – occurred among women over 49 years old.
Doctors have noted that this is likely due to increased awareness, along with the increasing prevalence of more advanced pelvic ultrasound and MRI scans.
Doctors may prescribe hormonal birth control, such as the pill or an IUD, to regulate hormone levels and stop or ease menstruation before opting for a hysterectomy in more severe cases.
