The Other Pain Endometriosis Sufferers Deal With

1 in 10 women live with Endometriosis. It’s a debilitating illness causing significant physical pain, mental health problems and can lead to infertility. There is no cure.

Other than struggling with the physical pain, Aussie women feel pain in their hip pockets. A new study published by PLoS ONE reveals the huge costs endo warriors deal with. Research from Western Sydney Uni and UNSW Sydney discovered the average cost of $31,000 per woman per year. This includes fees in healthcare, employment related costs and other costs related to childcare and household maintenance.

The cost varied depending on the severity of pain, with woman battling severe pain experiencing around 6 times the cost than someone with low pain. The majority was due to productivity cost equalling 75-84%. A huge $9.7 BILLION in Australia is the estimated economic burden for women with endo.

I battled with bad period pain since I was 15 and just put it down to being that ‘time of the month’ and normal girls’ stuff. I’d have days off school, uni and work. In 2011 I became extremely ill and surgery led me to answers after 11 years suffering. I was diagnosed with Stage 4 Endometriosis. I work as a radio announcer on 104.1 2DayFM and despite the pain I would push myself to be at work. I did not want to disappoint my audience, employees and co-workers. I knew financially I could not afford to be out of a job. My bank statements were full of doctor visits, chemist stops and health cover. There were the big bills from specialists, hospitals and surgeries. There’d be times I couldn’t afford a doctor or pain medication so just put up with pain. The financial burden of endometriosis just adds to the pain of having this illness.

NICM Health Research Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr Mike Armour said "The study highlights urgent need for both immediate policy action and more research both into the cause of endometriosis and into pain management to improve the quality of life for women living with endometriosis and pelvic pain".

You can read more about endometriosis, including symptoms, advice and how you can help raise awareness with Endometriosis Australia. Their website is a wealth of knowledge and help: https://www.endometriosisaustralia.org/