The rate of endometriosis hospitalisations has increased by 23% (from 145 to 180 hospitalisations per 100,000) over the past decade, surpassing the 5% increase in the rate of all female hospitalisations.
Published by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW), Endometriosis hospital procedures provides first-time insights into surgical procedures commonly performed in the treatment of endometriosis.
'Endometriosis is a chronic condition that affects many Australian girls, women and people assigned female at birth, and can have a significant impact on their daily lives and overall wellbeing,' said AIHW spokesperson Amy Young.
Of the 24,700 hospitalisations for endometriosis in 2024-25, over 9 in 10 involved a procedure and 7 in 10 admissions were to a private hospital.
The proportion of hospitalisations without a procedure increased from 6% in 2015-16 to 9% in 2024-25, suggesting increased access to advanced pain management treatments.
The most common procedures undertaken in endometriosis hospitalisations are diagnostic procedures, IUD insertions and laparoscopic surgery.
Treatment pathways changed over the past decade
'The most common surgery for endometriosis is laparoscopic excision, a keyhole surgery which involves removing the endometriosis tissue,' said Ms Young.
Endometriosis tissue can also be vaporised using heat energy, which is known as diathermy or ablation.
Almost 2 in 3 (62%) endometriosis hospitalisations involved a laparoscopic excision or ablation procedure in 2024-25, an increase from 58% in 2015-16.
Laparoscopic excision has increased from 57 to 93 hospitalisations per 100,000 females between 2015-16 and 2024-25, while the rate of laparoscopic diathermy decreased from 32 to 25 per 100,000 females.
Hormonal treatments such as the contraceptive pill and IUDs are the first-line recommendation for managing endometriosis symptoms for women who are not trying to conceive.
'The rate of IUD insertions in hospitals increased from 19 to 29 per 100,000 females between 2015-16 and 2024-25', said Ms Young.
'This aligns with clinical guidelines which recommend the use of hormonal treatments after laparoscopic surgery to help reduce the recurrence of symptoms.'
There were 3,200 hysterectomies performed for endometriosis in 2024-25. Hysterectomy is a major procedure that is usually only considered in endometriosis treatment once other surgical options have been tried, failed or are deemed inappropriate.
The rate of abdominal hysterectomy for endometriosis has doubled since 2015-16 from 11 to 23 per 100,000 females. Over 9 in 10 hysterectomies occur in women aged over 35. There were less than 10 hysterectomies each year among girls and women aged under 25 between 2015-16 and 2024-25.
'This report is important for understanding changes in treatment and care pathways, and for informing efforts to improve health outcomes for people affected by endometriosis,' said Ms Young.
