Former Love Island star Erin Barnett has undergone a total hysterectomy at the age of 28, saying it is something she has wanted ‘for years’.
Barnett, who was a runner-up on season one of Love Island Australia, revealed earlier this year that she had been given the go-ahead from doctors to have a hysterectomy – a surgery to remove the womb – having battled severe endometriosis and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) for years.
The reality TV star said at the time: “IT'S HAPPENING! I've just been approved for a hysterectomy.
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“I'M CRYING HAPPY TEARS! I can't believe it's finally happening. I'm so overwhelmed with so many different emotion.”
Barnett previously revealed that she’d had 17 surgeries from the age of 14, and had been begging doctors to allow her to have a hysterectomy.
But the day has finally come, as shown by a smiling snap from hospital.
“TODAY I HAD MY HYSTERECTOMY,” Barnett wrote.
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“I went in around 9am and have been in my room since 1pm. Surgery went really well!
“We did have some trouble getting my pain under control in recovery, but we got there in the end.
“I’ve wanted this for years and I'm so overwhelmed with emotions now it’s happened. I’m so glad I never gave up advocating for myself and my body.
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“And please remember, we are all amazing with or without kids. Having children does not define you. Do whatever makes you happy and healthy.”
She held a Q&A with fans on her Instagram Stories, where one asked how she was ‘coping’ after the hysterectomy and ‘not being able to have a kid naturally’.
Barnett said the main thing she’d been struggling with was the ‘post operative pain’, going on to say that, as she’d had issues with her reproductive organs since she was 14/15, she ‘grew up’ knowing she would find it hard to have children.
“As time went on and I had numerous surgeries I was told I would have to do IVF,” she said.
“4 years ago I looked into freezing my eggs.
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“I was then told I am a high risk patient for IVF due to my PCOS and how quickly I grow cysts and how fast they rupture and cause internal bleeding which turns into emergency surgery.
"The cons outweighed the pros for me.
“Therefore I came to accept the fact that in this lifetime I won’t be a mother. It's obvious that this is the path I was given and I don’t see the need to push for something that is clearly not meant for me.”
Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@erin.alyshaTopics: Celebrity, Love Island, Health, Endometriosis