A severe reproductive disorder increasingly affecting young women — and one of the drastic treatments used to manage it — kept Dolly Parton from experiencing motherhood herself.
The country music legend died Tuesday at age 80 after a short battle with cancer, her representatives confirmed.
Parton leaves behind six siblings and a sprawling extended family that includes many nieces and nephews, though the beloved “9 to 5” singer never had children of her own.
More than 40 years ago, Parton revealed she had been diagnosed with endometriosis, a painful reproductive condition in which tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows in other parts of the body.
That misplaced tissue can trigger agonizing menstrual cramps, heavy bleeding and, in as many as half of patients, fertility problems or infertility.
Before receiving her diagnosis in 1982 at age 36, Parton said her symptoms had become impossible to ignore, forcing her to cancel a major tour because of intense abdominal and pelvic pain, hemorrhaging and digestive complications.
In 1984, she underwent a partial hysterectomy to remove her uterus, a procedure that can ease some endometriosis symptoms by stopping menstruation. The surgery also meant Parton would no longer be able to become pregnant.
“I can’t have children physically,” she told Gloria Steinem in 1987. “I love children. I don’t know that it also wasn’t God’s will, you know, for me not to have kids.”
Legendary country music star Dolly Parton, who died this week at age 80, was open about her experience with endometriosis and infertility. She is pictured above in 2018
In 1984, the singer underwent a partial hysterectomy to remove her uterus – which may help alleviate some endometriosis symptoms. Parton is pictured above circa 1981
‘I mean, I try to look at things in a way that I can put them in a proper place because somebody has to be out there doing something to entertain other people’s children.’
The CDC estimates between six and ten percent of reproductive-aged women in the US have endometriosis, with it most commonly being diagnosed in those ages 15 to 24 and 35 to 49.
And about 25 to 50 percent of those 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 inside of the uterus, grows in other areas of the body such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowels and bladder.
During a woman’s menstrual cycle, endometrial tissue acts similarly to the lining of the uterus, thickening and bleeding.
This misplaced tissue has no way of leaving the body, leading to scar tissue called adhesions.
Adhesions cause the pelvic organs to stick together or become fused, forming cysts and obstructions. Scar tissue can also block the fallopian tubes, making it difficult for egg and sperm to meet during reproduction, making it impossible to conceive.
Dolly Parton speaks to children at the launch of her Imagination Library book project at the Magna Centre in Sheffield, England in 2007
The most common symptoms are extremely painful menstrual cramps, heavy bleeding during periods, abdominal and back pain, pain during sex and digestive issues 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 an increased risk, which experts believe is due to them continuously being exposed to estrogen that fuels endometrial tissue growth.
Endometriosis is also on the rise in the US, with recent Epic Research data showing a 32 to 42 percent increase in diagnoses between 2017 and 2024. The largest increase – 44 percent – was in women over 49.
Clinicians have noted this is likely due to increased awareness, along with more advanced pelvic ultrasound and MRI scans becoming more common.
Doctors may prescribe hormonal birth control such as the pill or an intrauterine device to regulate hormone levels and stop or ease menstruation before opting for a hysterectomy in more severe cases.
