Olivia Culpo Opens Up About Her Painful Struggle with Endometriosis

Model Olivia Culpo, 28, is gracing the cover of Shape magazine’s December issue, in which she opens up about her battle with endometriosis.

Culpo learned of her diagnosis “about a year and half ago” after feeling like there was “something wrong.” She shared, “I had gone to a number of doctors in agony — crying, shaking. When you’re living with chronic pain, you don’t know if you want to throw up or just curl into a ball and cry. That’s when I started a six-month journey of trying to figure it out. ‘Okay, what is going on here?’ I finally went to a doctor who was able to diagnose me. Good thing, because my condition was advanced, and she needed to check my eggs immediately to make sure my fertility was intact.”

As for how she’s living with the condition, Culpo said, “Right now, I’m trying to figure out new ways to heal holistically through what I’m eating and the rest that I’m giving myself. I’m also exploring acupuncture, massages, Chinese herbal medicine, and maybe cutting out caffeine.”

Culpo is sharing her story to “try and help people live with this.”

Despite her struggles, Culpo is prioritizing her mental wellness. Along with staying fit with Pilates, she’s keeping her mind clear with meditation. She explained, “I’m also a big believer in meditation. I implemented Transcendental Meditation into my pageant training. I did it daily as I was preparing. It was not about winning, but more soul searching that meditation definitely helped with. These days, it’s about closing my eyes and visualizing what I want to see even in the day that’s ahead.”

For more on Olivia, visit Shape.com!