Dancing with the Stars alum Julianne Hough is all about exercise and wellness, appearing on the cover of countless fitness magazines and sharing her many workout tips with fans. Hough is also focused on self-care and her spirituality in March 2019, she told Us Weekly,

"It's all about internalizing coming inward and really just loving [yourself] from the inside out. You can't look externally for other people's approval, you have to come back in and just disconnect from that to then open back out."

As someone who is so in sync with her body, it was understandably tough for the dancer when she was diagnosed with a troubling health issue in 2008. Discussing her symptoms in 2017, she told TODAY,

"This feels like sharp, dagger pains and it's almost instant. It comes out of nowhere and all of a sudden I'll be like, 'Oh, crap,' and then it will last for a minute and then go away. And then another sharp pain, and then it will subside."

Hough was officially diagnosed in 2008 with endometriosis, which is described as an often painful disorder,

"...in which the type of tissue that lines a woman’s uterus grows outside it."

Despite Hough's painful struggle, she was relieved to have that concrete diagnosis after years of uncertainty. She explained,

"It sort of gives you peace of mind, like a name to the pain. Just knowing that I'm not the only one who feels this and that I'm not overreacting. Giving myself more compassion for how I'm feeling."

The physical symptoms were tough for the Utah native to deal with, and she ultimately decided to undergo a surgery to remove scar tissue and her appendix. She had the first surgery in 2008, and a second in late 2017.

Although it's not an opinion backed up by scientific evidence, Hough believes positive thinking has helped cure her endometriosis symptoms. She told Women's Health in May 2020,

"I will tell you, through this transformation of really connecting back to my truth, I haven't had symptoms of endometriosis because of the love and kindness I'm giving to my body. I believe there's stress, shame, guilt, and suppression of female energy that's associated with endometriosis, so de-layering that has really helped."

Brighamand Women's Hospital noted that endometriosis can also lead to difficulty becoming pregnant, which raises the question of whether Hough has considered having children with her husband, former NHL center Brooks Laich. She told People in 2008,

"I know more than anything I want to be a mom and have kids. That's so important to me."

However, Hough has since adopted a more relaxed stance on motherhood, telling Women's Health in her May 2020 interview,

"I think the healthier I am from the inside out as far as my beliefs, my energy, what I'm putting into my body the better prepared I'll be when the time comes."

She also revealed that she and Laich have never tried to have children, although they did freeze her eggs as, in her words, "a precautionary measure" in case they decide to have children in the future.

Whether or not Hough has children one day, it's obvious that she's committed to raising awareness about her endometriosis diagnosis. She admitted to Self in 2018 that she hadn't known anything about the disease until she was diagnosed and she's determined to help other women who are facing the same issue. She explained,

"The more we talk about it, the more we're empowered by it rather than it being in control of us. The more I started to know and acknowledge all of me, the more I realized, 'Wow I really suppressed that part of me.' It's hurting me, but it's also hurting all these other people that could have more knowledge about it if I started to use my voice."

"It is my responsibility to speak up so that other women… because one in ten women have endometriosis and probably don't even realize they have it."

The Endometriosis Foundation of America claims the condition affects an estimated 200 million women worldwide so it's great to see Hough raising awareness about this issue.

Watch the video to see how Julianne Hough Gets Real About Her Troubling Health Diagnosis.

#JulianneHough #Endometriosis #DancingWithTheStars