Lena Dunham has been hospitalized for a ruptured ovarian cyst

Poor Lena Dunham! Reps confirmed that the actress and writer was taken to the hospital Saturday morning for an ongoing health problem that seems to have flared up. Her spokesperson, Cindy Berger, spoke with People shortly after Lena’s admission. “Lena Dunham has been very public with her personal bouts with endometriosis. This morning, she suffered from an ovarian cyst rupture and has been taken to the hospital. Lena will be undergoing surgery at an undisclosed hospital.”

This unfortunate development comes a few weeks after Lena spoke about her struggles with endometriosis to fans via Instagram post.

Her illness kept her out of much of the press surrounding the final season of Lena’s breakout show, Girls, but it seems that even her precautions couldn’t keep complications from arising, leading to the need for surgery.

Endometriosis is a chronic condition in which the tissue from inside the uterus grows in other places, like on the ovaries and fallopian tubes. The tissue can grow into lesions or cysts, which may go away on their own, but can, in some cases, rupture and cause extreme bleeding and pain. Even when cysts are not ruptured, they can be incredibly painful, causing difficult menstrual cycles and pain during sex. In the worst cases, it can even cause infertility.

Treatments for endometriosis are pretty minimal. Most women with mild forms of the chronic illness survive on pain meds and careful monitoring. More severe cases may be treated with hormone suppressing drugs, surgical removal of the tissue, or even total hysterectomy. In short, there is no real “cure” for the disorder, something Lena likely knows very well.

Let’s hope Lena faces a quick recovery and continues to do an important job by raising awareness of this awful condition that affects up to 10% of women in the US.