"There's nothing brave about ignoring pain." With this phrase, Svana Bjarnason summed up 20 years of battling an illness no one had yet named. The French-Icelandic climber broke the silence with disarming candor—and her message resonated far beyond the climbing community.
Twenty years of pain without a diagnosis
Svana Bjarnason has suffered from endometriosis for almost 20 years, but the disease was only diagnosed very recently, after years of medical uncertainty. Her first gynecologist simply told her it was "nothing" and prescribed painkillers. She herself requested an MRI. She was then told she had "a little endometriosis"—a formulation that seemed completely out of step with the intensity of what she was experiencing.
It was ultimately a specialist trained in endometriosis who made the precise diagnosis: severe deep endometriosis, with neuropathic and ligamentous involvement. This diagnosis brought her relief: "I finally told myself I wasn't crazy," she explains.
"Andy had taken everything from me."
In the post published on Instagram in September 2025, Svana Bjarnason gave her illness a name – "Andy," short for endometriosis – and described what it had cost her: "Four months ago, Andy took everything from me – my smile, my spirit, my plans. He left only a pale copy of who I was. Whole days spent waiting in my bed. Nights swallowing painkillers without being able to sleep. Hours hooked up to a TENS unit. Long minutes crying with rage. Dozens of times vomiting because of the medication. And so much time not understanding anything at all."
Ten days before posting this Instagram message, Svana Bjarnason had undergone surgery. She explained: "My surgeon, a robot, and I have finally gone to war against Andy. After a three-hour operation, they managed to remove a 4 cm nodule and all the endometriosis lesions." A medical victory after months of uncertainty.
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The Olympic year - climbing while crying in pain
The year Svana Bjarnason attempted to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was incredibly difficult: vomiting, pain, insomnia, and repeated attacks. She would sometimes climb immediately after screaming in agony. Her documentary series, "The Outsider," which follows her journey to Paris 2024, recounts this chaotic road—the hardships, the sacrifices, and the constant struggle to pursue her dreams despite everything. This visual testimony speaks volumes about what illness (endometriosis) forces female athletes to endure in silence.
"Sport saved me from depression."
In her interview with ÀBLOCK!, Svana Bjarnason explained: "Without sport, endometriosis would have plunged me into depression." Rock climbing has thus been her outlet, her therapy, and her reason to fight for a proper diagnosis and treatment. She also reiterates a crucial point that is often overlooked: the pain is not dependent on the size of the lesions. And despite the fact that one in ten women is affected, the disease remains poorly understood.
A message for all women
Svana Bjarnason emphasizes the importance of trusting one's own feelings and consulting trained specialists. She reiterates this phrase, which has become the central theme of her story: "There is nothing courageous about ignoring the pain." She also shares practical resources for affected women: the Facebook group "Endometriosis and Adenomyosis," the website "La Belle et L'Endo," and the directory "EndoFrance."
Twenty years of pain, years of medical uncertainty, one operation, and a phrase that sums it all up: "ignoring pain is not courage." Svana Bjarnason didn't just share her story. She gave a name to what millions of women experience without being able to articulate it.
