The Federal Government’s $58 million budget to help treat endometriosis is being celebrated by the Country Women’s Association (CWA) of NSW. 

Endometriosis is a disorder in which the tissue that lines the inside of the uterus grows outside of the uterus. Symptoms include pelvic pain, excessive bleeding, fatigue, and in some cases, infertility. 

More than 830,000 Australian women suffer from endometriosis at some point in their life, and the average time that it takes to diagnose the condition is 6.5 years.  

The CWA of NSW has long campaigned for more assistance for those who are affected by the painful condition. 

The assigned funds in the budget will help improve diagnosis and primary care support, as well as help more women find appropriate care and better management. 

“This announcement is so welcome and emphasises just how critical it is for increased investment in the treatment of and research into this chronic and debilitating condition that is thought to affect more than 10 per cent of females in this country,” said CWA of NSW President Stephanie Stanhope. 

The CWA of NSW in the past has raised more than $100,000 for endometriosis research as their chosen Medical Research Project four years ago. 

“When our members selected it as our Medical Research Project in 2018, we wanted to increase awareness and understanding of the condition as much as we wanted to raise some much-needed funds,” Ms Stanhope explains. 

“To learn today that almost $60 million will assist with treatment clinics, research scholarships and access to critical MRI scanning is so gratifying and will help so many.” 

Prime Minister Scott Morrison addressed the choice to allocate much needed funds to the condition, explaining that it has personally impacted his family. 

“I have seen firsthand with Jen just how debilitating endometriosis can be for women, the mental and physical toll it takes, and it’s so important we continue to fund new services and treatments for the hundreds of thousands of women who suffer from endometriosis,” he says. 

While the funding will contribute to the quality of life for many women, it is just the tip of the iceberg compared to the approximate $9.7 billion that is spent annually on endometriosis treatment by Australian society. 

“Recognition of this scale is long overdue,” says Ms Stanhope.