Bindi Irwin undergoes gruelling surgery after '13 years of fighting for answers'

Bindi Irwin has had her appendix and "51 endometriosis lesions" removed.

The 27-year-old star - whose is the daughter of late Crocodile Hunter legend Steve Irwin - has given an update amid her long battle with endometriosis following her diagnosis in 2023, which came after a decade of chronic pain.

She wrote on Instagram this week alongside a smiling selfie: "13 years of fighting for answers.

"51 endometriosis lesions, a chocolate cyst, and my appendix were all removed across two surgeries with @seckinmd. My hernia from giving birth that was unzipping - was taken care of. I can FINALLY say that I’m feeling better. Genuinely healing."

Endometriosis is a disease where abnormal tissue grows outside the uterus.

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Bindi underwent emergency surgery in May, which meant she missed a gala honouring her late father.

Now, she added that after her health struggles - which she's been very candid about with fans - she's finally able to "function" again.

She continued: "I can function in everyday life without wanting to throw up or pass out from the pain. Slowly, slowly gaining my strength back.

"I cannot express the gravity of my emotions as I am beginning to recognise myself again.

"I felt utterly ashamed as a teenager and young adult being told that my pain was just part of being a woman.

"I felt lesser. I felt hurt. I felt weak. That is not ok."

The conservationist and activist - who has daughter Grace Warrior, four, with husband Chandler Powell - is keen to get rid of the "stigma" around conversations about women's health and healthcare.

She concluded: "Young girls and women shouldn’t feel alone with pain in the driver’s seat of their lives.

"We need to take away the stigma of talking about women’s health. It’s time to have open discussions and make change on a global scale."

Bindi missed her late dad’s annual gala in May after rupturing her appendix, and her brother Robert explained her absence at the time.

He told PEOPLE magazine: "She’s going to be OK, but surgery - out of all the things we were ready for, that was not one of them. She’s just come out the other side of endometriosis and now the appendix goes. Health is so important - it really is."