The gender stigma associated with the chronic and painful disease endometriosis needs to be broken down to lead to more accurate diagnosis and better treatment of women afflicted with the condition.
Shadow Minister for Women Michelle O'Byrne said Endometriosis Awareness Month presented governments across the nation as well as the medical community with an opportunity to gain a greater understanding of the disease and serious issues around diagnosis and treatment.
"Endometriosis is a common, chronic and debilitating condition that affects 200 million women worldwide and one in nine Australian women," Ms O'Byrne said.
"It can cause chronic pelvic pain, bowel and bladder dysfunction but unfortunately, the reality is that women with endometriosis can wait up to 10 years for a diagnosis.
"That's because normalisation of period pain means women often wait two to three years from the onset of symptoms before seeking medical help and public awareness of endometriosis and its symptoms are low.
"Even if a woman does present to her GP with symptoms, a lack of education in GPs and general gynaecologists can result in late referral and misdiagnosis and that can add more than two years to a diagnosis journey.
"Women are often told to just take Panadol, to go for a walk or that it is completely normal. It is not.
"Additionally, the public system wait times for Category Three surgery required for endometriosis can be horribly long and even with private healthcare, women with endometriosis pay, on average, $3,670 a year in out-of-pocket expenses for tests, treatments and surgeries.
"If you are one of the one in nine women in Australia impacted, don't accept living in pain as a 'normal thing', but seek help."
