Highlights
- Endometriosis is a debilitating disease that affects at least 1 in 9 Australian women.
- The federal government announced a $58 million package under the National Action Plan for Endometriosis.
- Funding will include new specialised endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics in every state and territory to improve diagnosis, and offer improved care to support over 800,000 Australian women who have the disease.
It took almost 2 decades for writer, speaker, and endometriosis survivor Joy Adan to be diagnosed and treated for endometriosis and she considers herself one of the lucky ones.
"Luckily, I had the money, time and persistence to continue searching for a doctor that would help me find the underlying reason for the chronic pain, heavy bleeding, nausea and fatigue that plagued me during my adolescence, tertiary studies, early years of my career and motherhood. I also had the luxury of working flexibly to help accommodate this but most women don't."
Listen to the audio
Unfortunately, endometriosis is often missed and it can take several years to get a diagnosis — the average is about 7 years according to health direct website.
Women of colour have additional barriers to overcome, including language, cost of treatment and cultural stigmas about chronic pain or infertility.
Ms. Adan shares that in January 2020, she almost blacked out in the middle of Central Station because she had bled so much and had soaked through several layers of clothing but almost every GP she turned to after that experience gave her the same response as they had in the years before.
"There was little I could do. I had to accept that heavy bleeding was normal. I was offered two choices of treatment, but none were guaranteed to stop my symptoms. One was a type of medication that carried a risk of causing blood clots [I stopped taking it after it immediately gave me migraines], and the second was the contraceptive pill."
Ms. Adan adds that the more she spoke to friends, co-workers and women in her community, the more she found this to be a common occurrence.
Writer and speaker, Joy Adan is an endometriosis survivor. Source: Findingjoy.com.au
"Instead of equipping us with more information about how our reproductive cycles work and how we can best understand and manage our symptoms naturally or with more accurate and targeted treatment, GPs dismissed concerns that heavy bleeding and monthly pain was interrupting study or affecting our capacity to work, travel or care for our families."
Ms. Adan hopes that women experiencing the incurable disease can be given attention, education and accurate medical treatment they deserve.
Federal government announces funding for endometriosis sufferers
The federal government recently announced a $58 million package under the National Action Plan for endometriosis.
The funding will include new specialised endometriosis and pelvic pain clinics in every state and territory to improve diagnosis, and offer improved care to support over 800,000 Australian women who have the disease.
The government will also help couples plan for their pregnancy by investing $81.2 million to create a new Medicare item to support access to genetic testing for three serious genetic conditions.
Genetic testing can assist families, who may be at risk of passing on significant genetic conditions, to understand and assess their risk and to plan their pregnancy accordingly.
The recent announcement provided some hope for those who suffer from endometriosis.
