A record $58 million has been dedicated to improving treatment, care and diagnosis for the over 830,000 Australians with Endometriosis in the 2022-23 federal budget.
The package dedicated an additional $25.2 million for people to access Medicare-subsidised MRI scans, $5.1 million towards early-career research scholarships and $5 million to create an endometriosis management plan for primary care patients.
Since she was 19, Charlotte Davies has been spreading awareness about endometriosis to remove the taboo about her condition. (Supplied)
Charlotte Davies is one of the lucky people who got an early diagnosis after three years but remains sceptical about the government’s recent announcement. “I thought, is it going to happen? Because they’ve said it over and over again, but nothing has come from it,” she said.
The primary school teacher remains hopeful that the extra funding will help educate nurses and doctors on correctly diagnosing young people with endometriosis.
“It’s going to change so many girls’ lives . . . that they can walk into a hospital and be paired with a doctor who knows the symptoms and how to help,” she said.
Dr Mike Armour, a research fellow at Western Sydney University’s NICM Health Research Institute, said the newly specialised pain clinics will be a major change for people with endometriosis.
“One of the things that we don’t see is a place for people to go to where someone else can be involved and help them manage their treatment plan,” he said. “So it’s not just forced on them to kind of make the best guess for what might work for them.”
CEO of Endometriosis Australia, Alexis Wolfe, added that the specialised centres are “monumental” for having health practitioners across different departments work together to ensure that individuals can receive holistic care in one place.
“It ensures that people don’t need to retell their story to multiple health professionals, and they can work together to get the diagnosis and medical referrals in a succinct timeframe,” she said. “The patient doesn’t have to do all the research themselves which is an additional burden often placed on endo warriors.”
Alexis Wolfe (Supplied)
Endometriosis is a chronic disease that happens when the tissue that is meant to line the inside of the uterus grows outside in other parts of the body and can cause painful sexual intercourse inflammation, severe period pain, and in some cases, infertility.
Although endometriosis impacts around one in nine Australian girls and women, the condition can take many years to correctly diagnose as there are different symptoms present in each person.
Dr Amour puts down the misdiagnosis of endometriosis down to two factors: the normalisation of severe period cramps and a lack of period education.
“I think there’s been a poor understanding of women’s menstrual conditions like endometriosis. A lot of GPS and even some gynaecologists just assume that they have dysmenorrhea [severe period pain] when it’s really endometriosis,” he said.
“Unfortunately, a lot of people fall through the cracks, or they’re not followed up with properly. If they [GPs] don’t provide patients with treatment, they’re not being proactive managed,” he said.
If you or someone you know are struggling with endometriosis or may be exhibiting symptoms, book an appointment with your GP or visit Endometriosis Australia for more information.
By Olivia Nunes-Malek
