The average cost for a woman with endometriosis both personally and for society is around A$30,000 a year.
Most of these costs are not from medication, or doctors’ visits, although these do play a part. Rather, they’re due to lost productivity, as women are unable to work – or work to their usual level of efficiency – while experiencing high levels of pain.
The bulk of the costs (over 80%) were due to lost productivity, either because of absenteeism (being off work) or presenteeism (not being as productive as usual because you’re sick). Women with endometriosis often use up all their sick leave and then often have to work when they are in severe pain.
How many women have Endometriosis ?
Around 7% of Australian women aged 25–29 and 11% of women aged 40–44 are likely to have endometriosis, which is similar to the worldwide estimate of one in ten women.
Delays in diagnosis are extremely common, and combined with needing surgery for a diagnosis, means many women suffer for years with chronic pelvic pain before being diagnosed with endometriosis later in life. This contributes to the difficulty in getting exact figures for how many women in Australia have endometriosis.
Women with the condition have a variety of symptoms, including non-cyclical pelvic pain (which is like period pain but occurs regularly throughout the month), severe period pain, pain during or after sexual intercourse, and severe fatigue. Gastrointestinal problems, such as severe bloating (often called “endo belly” by those who suffer from it) and pain with bowel motions, are also common.
Currently, surgery (a laparoscopy) is the only way to make a formal diagnosis of endometriosis – this is where a small camera is inserted into the pelvic/abdominal cavity to investigate the presence of endometriosis lesions.
Both medical and surgical treatments are commonly used for women with endometriosis. Medical therapies include non-steroidal anti-inflammatories (such as ibuprofen and naproxen), oral contraceptive pills and other forms of hormonal treatments.
Surgery is the current “gold standard” of treatment, but despite successful surgery many women find their pain and symptoms can return within about five years after surgery.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Robina7DayDoctorsandAcupunctureBulkBill
Home page: https://www.doctorbulkbill.com.au/