Mike Freelander (Macarthur, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Endometriosis is a hidden disease, in many ways. Although it affects close to a million Australian women, its symptoms, its signs and its treatment are often poorly understood, and the diagnosis is often missed. We have effective treatments, but many women have difficulty accessing them. It is very important that we understand the symptoms of endometriosis, which include things like fatigue; iron deficiency; intermittent abdominal pain; infertility; pain before, during or after sex; pain with bowel movements; urinary irregularities; incontinence; heavy bleeding or irregular bleeding, and these are symptoms that people often suffer in silence. I think it's time that this should happen no longer. We must be much more aware of endometriosis. We must be much more aware of its signs, symptoms and treatment. It's a fair thing to say that, even though this affects so many Australian women, many medical professionals tend to brush it off. They tend to pretend that there's some other cause. They tend to send people away without proper investigation and proper treatment. This should stop. The time has come where we must treat it properly.

My daughter Amelia suffers from endometriosis and has had symptoms for many years. Her father's a doctor but, unfortunately, the diagnosis was missed for quite a long time. She's now received treatment and has much better outcomes. She lives overseas and came to Australia four years ago to get treatment. She's been treated. She had her first child 2½ years ago and she's about to have her second child in the next few weeks. So it's a really great outcome for her and for her whole family.

To me, it's a sign that we must try harder. We must do what we can to recognise endometriosis and offer people appropriate treatment. I've spoken to many people in this parliament and I think there's an increasing awareness around the country of endometriosis and the importance of offering appropriate treatment. Sadly, many people struggle to get access to gynaecologists who have a good understanding of endometriosis and its modern treatment. We must improve that outcome for Australian women.

In my own family it's now been recognised, since Amelia's diagnosis, that other family members have suffered endometriosis. This has helped awareness in my family, and in our community, and I will do all I can to promote the awareness of endometriosis, appropriate treatment and the good outcomes that can now come with appropriate management.