Hilary Mantel endometriosis battle and illness explored as Wolf Hall author dies aged 70

The Booker prize-winning author Hilary Mantel passed away at the age of 70, her publisher HarperCollins confirmed on September 20, 2022. Mantel has many extraordinary books to her name and is mostly known as the author of Wolf Hall and its sequel, Bring Up The Bodies.

While the cause of her death has not been confirmed, Hilary Mantel once mentioned that she had been "ill for most of (her) my life." During an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live, Mantel revealed that she suffered from debilitating period pains, for which she actively sought a diagnosis when she was 19 years old.

At the age of 27, the author was diagnosed with endometriosis. Surgery was the only option at the time. Mantel's health condition even caused her to separate from her husband, Gerald McEwan, in 1981, only to remarry him in 1982.

Detailing the condition, the Wolf Hall author told BBC Radio that it causes the uterine tissue to grow outside of the uterus. According to her, the condition "confiscated her fertility at 27" and left her "besieged."

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What did Hilary Mantel say about her battle with endometriosis?

Hilary Mantel has been quite vocal about her battle with endometriosis. During her interview with BBC Radio, the author explained how she lived with the condition from the age of 19. Mantel noted:

"You have to find a way of living with it and living around it. I have been ill most of my life, certainly since I was 19."

During an interview with The Guardian, Hilary Mantel also described her first period at the age of 11, which was not a pleasant experience. She stated:

"My period pains eased. But soon nausea, vomiting, fatigue and aching legs took me to the doctor... I was offered tranquillizers and anti-depressants, and the opportunity of a career as a psychiatric patient, which in the end I found the strength to decline."

While her menstrual cycle showed no improvement in her 20s, the author recalled having to go through surgery that changed her life. Hilary Mantel told The Guardian:

"It was named on the operating table, and to make me viable I had to lose part of my bladder and my bowel, my womb and my ovaries. I woke up to a strange future – childlessness, a premature menopause, and a marriage, already tottering, that would soon fall apart."

During the BBC Radio interview, she explained how the treatments "have done their own damage" to her body. The author said:

"I don't have a family, I didn't have a chance at having children but I've tried to make my life as full as possible."

Speaking about how her illness affected her marriage, Hilary Mantel added:

"My illness and the crisis it occasioned was too difficult for us to surmount and we we broke up and divorced for a couple of years."

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What is endometriosis and its symptoms?

According to the Mayo Clinic, endometriosis is a painful disorder where tissues that are supposed to grow inside your uterus grow outside. Generally, endometrial-like tissues thicken, break down, and bleed during each menstrual cycle. However, since the tissues have no way to exit the body due to endometriosis, they get trapped.

Endometriomas, or endometrial cysts, can develop when endometriosis affects the ovaries. As a result, the tissue in the area may become irritated and eventually form scar tissue and adhesions.

Symptoms often include painful menstrual cycles, excessive bleeding, painful urination, painful bowel movements, and infertility. Many people also suffer from mild endometriosis with severe pain, and many experience advanced endometriosis with little or no pain.

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Nothing about Hilary Mantel's funeral arrangements has been made known. She is survived by her husband Gerald McEwen.