Lena Dunham Posts Naked Selfie on 9-Month Anniversary of Her Hysterectomy

Girls creator and star, who has posed nude before onscreen and on social media, had had her uterus removed almost a year ago

Lena Dunham is baring it all again for a special occasion and reveals a new tattoo dedicated to the uterus she had had removed.

In 2017, the creator and star of the HBO series Girls underwent a hysterectomy after a decade of battling endometriosis and pain and complications from the reproductive system disease. Her uterus and cervix were removed.

Dunham shared three nude photos of herself on Instagram on Wednesday. The actress and writer has stripped down for Instagram pics before and often appeared nude on Girls. In her latest photos, she also showcases a new tattoo on her rib cage, which reads, "RIP Judy."

"Today is National Leathercraft Day, National Relaxation Day and National Lemon Merengue Pie Day. It's also the 9 month anniversary of my hysterectomy," Dunham wrote. "I've never celebrated the 9 month anniversary of anything and I realized last night why that number feels so funny- I won't ever do it the way I planned to. My body is mostly healed and every day I find a new bruise on my heart, but today I offer myself gratitude: from the most pained place, I somehow knew to choose myself. The purest glint of who we are and know we can be is always available to us, calm and true at our center."

"My friend Paul named my uterus Judy, and when she was being uppity we called her out, hence the tattoo on my ribs, which hurt like f--k even through the pain meds: #RIPJudy," she said. "Today I give thanks for Judy, for her graceful exit and for this body, which is stronger than I've ever given it credit for. Happy Giving Birth To Myself Day."

Dunham's hysterectomy had marked her ninth surgery to treat her endometriosis, characterized by mostly abnormal tissue that grows outside the uterus. The surgery left her ovaries intact. She had opened up about her surgery to Vogue earlier this year and said that "adoption is a thrilling truth I'll pursue with all my might."

On Sunday, Dunham posted on Twitter a list of potential baby names that she said she and then-boyfriend Jack Antonoff had made in 2015.

"I could definitely keep this private, but then the world wouldn't know that you suggested 'Carrot' over and over..." she said. "Love u!!!"