Lena Dunham axes upcoming tour due to endometriosis

Lena Dunham's ongoing battle against endometriosis has forced her to cancel her upcoming Lenny IRL tour.

On her Lenny Letter website, the 'Girls' star and creator, who was supposed to headline discussions with fans at several cities starting at the end of the month, wrote that while her "travelling variety show" has been a "ray of sunshine" for her amid "these dark political days," her endometriosis has worsened and her body cannot bear the stress of touring.

"My body, which I've worked through all kinds of pain for many years, just doesn't have what it takes to do this tour," the 31-year-old actress wrote. "Lenny is about giving 100 percent of ourselves, 100 percent of the time, and I couldn't bear to limp through this. Not for you, our favourite people, and not for the women giving their time to join me on the road."

"To be perfectly honest, I'm in the greatest amount of physical pain that I have ever experienced," she added. "After being told I was endometriosis-free after my last procedure, more disease was found in deeper spots that required immediate surgery and now physical therapy."

"This disease is wily and unrelenting, and I'm really blessed to have a community, both online and IRL, who let me express how hard that is," she continued. "Inspired by you, I'm gonna say 'Eff you' to embarrassment and walk the walk of a woman who really takes care of herself. My goals have to be simplified for this moment: to write and to heal.

Dunham said people who purchased tickets will be refunded.

"We hope to be back when my uterus has taken a chill pill. (But not my spiritual uterus. She'll never chill. She's incapable of chill.)," she added.