{"id":441770,"date":"2026-05-17T15:25:48","date_gmt":"2026-05-17T13:25:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/?p=441770"},"modified":"2026-05-17T15:10:48","modified_gmt":"2026-05-17T13:10:48","slug":"sportive-svana-bjarnason-combat-contre-endometriose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ma-grande-taille.com\/en\/sante\/bien-etre\/sportive-svana-bjarnason-combat-against-endometriosis-441770","title":{"rendered":""The disease took everything from me": this athlete opens up about her battle against endometriosis"},"content":{"rendered":"

"There's nothing brave about ignoring pain."<\/em> 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\u2014and her message resonated far beyond the climbing community.<\/p>\n

Twenty years of pain without a diagnosis<\/h2>\n

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"\u2014a formulation that seemed completely out of step with the intensity of what she was experiencing.<\/p>\n

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,"<\/em> she explains.<\/p>\n

"Andy had taken everything from me."<\/h2>\n

In the post published on Instagram in September 2025, Svana Bjarnason gave her illness a name \u2013 "Andy," short for endometriosis \u2013 and described what it had cost her: "Four months ago, Andy took everything from me \u2013 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."<\/em><\/p>\n

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."<\/em> A medical victory after months of uncertainty. <\/p>\n

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A post shared by Svana Bjarnason (@svanabjarnason)<\/a> <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n