"I was already self-conscious. I even went to the gym, but my stomach wasn’t going down," she said. "I'm such a fatty. I spoke to those around me as if to make fun of myself. Maybe I had eaten too much during the New Year festivities."

She told BuzzFeed News that around New Years 2015, she was having an acupuncture session when someone pointed out that her stomach was looking big.

"My periods were irregular, so I’d been seeing a gynecologist since I was in high school. However, I had never had an ultrasound. I figured I needed to go get checked properly.”

Nakada thought it could be gastroptosis, but when she went to get that checked out, she was told to see a gynecologist immediately.

"Every year, go to the Obstetrics and Gynecology Department. Cervical cancer screening. Examination of endometriosis. You ought to have done it properly

In her blog, which she wrote before having surgery, Nakada begged women to get checked out regularly to avoid her situation.

The post received hundreds of comments from readers, who praised Nakada for her openness — and shared their own stories of endometriosis and ovarian cysts.

"I also suffered from the same illness and I was operated on in November last year. It was large with 9x11x7-centimeter tumor, but it was able to be safely removed with laparoscopic surgery that lasted three and a half hours. It was discovered in a cervical cancer screening and it was an experience that made me realize the importance of regular medical examinations."

Nakada said that the experience made her realize how common it is for women to have issues with their ovaries, but how little it is spoken about. "It’s such a common disease that 1 in 10 girls will experience it. If you have 30 friends, 3 of them may have the same issue.”

She also explained why, as someone in the public eye, she decided to open up about her private life via her blog post.

“Revealing personal details to the public is a given. There are countless other models and actresses, so I sometimes think, ‘Even if I die, there will be a replacement (laughs).’ Even so, I feel that I am who I am now because I shared details about my personal life like I did. Diseases are no good, but it’s also no good to keep things bottled up. If there’s something you want to do, it’s best if you say so. If there’s something you want to get rid of, it’s best if you cut it out.”