Lena Dunham Forced To Pull Out Of Press For ‘Girls’ Due To Illness

Lena Dunham is a writer, showrunner, actress and all-round powerhouse, but she's made an announcement recently about needing a break for a very good reason. Dunham is excited about the debut of Season 5 of her show Girls on the 21st of February, but unfortunately will not be making any appearances or doing any press to promote it. She suffers from the often debilitating condition known as endometriosis, and is currently in the middle of a severe flare-up, which she spoke about on Instagram:

Hey Beloved Pals, I just wanted to let you know that, while I am so excited for Girls to return on Feb 21, I won't be out and about doing press for the new season. As many of you know I have endometriosis, a chronic condition that affects approximately 1 in 10 women's reproductive health. I am currently going through a rough patch with the illness and my body (along with my amazing doctors) let me know, in no uncertain terms, that it's time to rest. That's a hard thing to do, but I'm trying, because all I want is to make season 6 of Girls the best one yet. I'm lucky enough to have support and backup from Jenni, Judd and the whole Girls gang. So many women with this disease literally don't have the option of time off and I won't take it for granted. Wishing you all health & happiness, in whatever form suits you. Back soon xxLena

A photo posted by Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) on Feb 8, 2016 at 12:42pm PST

Endometriosis is a chronic (but not life-threatening) reproductive health condition which can affect 1 in 10 women, and cause a vast range of symptoms from painful periods to lower back and abdominal pain.. When you have it, the tissue that is usually found inside the uterus is found in other areas of the body, the NHS reports. Dunham has chronicled her battle with the condition in an article for her newsletter, Lenny: 'I am one of many women who grasp for a sense of consistent well-being, fight against the betrayals of their bodies, and who are often met with skepticism by doctors trained to view painful periods as the lot of women who should learn to grin and bear it.' Lead Image via Getty