Hospitals and Healthcare

Fi Macrae, who has endometriosis, was told by doctors it wasn’t possible she could be in so much pain and maybe mood stabilisers would fix her head.

Doctors behind new Australian guidelines for treatment of the painful disease say they are hampered by a lack of quality scientific evidence

Women with endometriosis pay an average of $1,200 in out-of-pocket health costs a year. When you add lost wages and productivity, the costs add up to $30,000 per sufferer every year.

For many of the one in 10 women who have endometriosis, that knowing never comes. Without savings or private health cover, the specialists are too expensive, and the thought of a potentially pointless surgery (they could, after all, find nothing) is not only daunting but completely financially impossible. They are condemned to a life of hurt and, what’s worse, they carry it alone because no one will listen.

Women speak out about the pain of living with a condition considered 'taboo'

Endometriosis can cause a number of severe symptoms, including period pain. But painful periods alone aren't a surefire indicator of endometriosis. Here's what else to look out for.

Doctors don’t always tell you they’re unsure what’s behind common symptoms, such as a stomach ache. And that can have serious effects.

A health taskforce has developed the nation’s first-ever best-practice principles for dealing with the debilitating disease

It's painful, debilitating and can land you in hospital – and one in nine Australian women suffer from it by their early 40s. What is endometriosis?

An estimated 10% of women have this condition, which can include debilitating pain. But it’s underresearched, poorly understood – and still without a cure.

Endometriosis is cut or vaporised with an electric current or laser. It ranges from a simple, 20 minute operation to complex surgery involving important organs such as the bowel and bladder.

EndoActive is a health promotion charity raising Awareness of Endometriosis, Advocating for women and girls with Endo and providing Information.

I’m cautiously optimistic about the national action plan for endometriosis