News Corp's About Bloody Time campaign pushes for improvement in endometriosis diagnosis and treatment
The campaign follows a reader survey of more than 1,700 endometriosis sufferers.
News Corp’s news.com.au has launched its About Bloody Time campaign, a week-long editorial push for longer, Medicare-funded consultations for endometriosis diagnosis and treatment.
In February 2024, news.com.au conducted a reader survey of more than 1,700 endometriosis sufferers. The results paint a picture that involves being denied pain medication, labelled as 'drama queens', and referred for psychiatric assessment by doctors who dismissed period pain caused by endometriosis.
Whilst half of the respondents made the decision not to tell their workplaces about their diagnosis, more than 83% had taken time off work due to the pain.
The survey found that 34% of respondents had undergone more than two surgeries for endometriosis, with 7.4% reporting over seven surgeries.
News Corp also found that 52.2% of respondents have spent more than $5,000 on their treatment, including 71 respondents who reported having spent over $100,000.
News.com.au editor Kerry Warren said: "One million Australian women have spent an average of seven years of their lives being told their endometriosis, a condition that causes chronic pain and infertility, is just bad period pain – take some pain relief and harden up.
"But endo is not just bad period pain. It's a chronic, often lifelong condition, and there is no cure. It affects every part of a woman's life, from relationships and work to their ability to start a family."
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The campaign will feature interviews with high-profile sufferers, women from rural and regional Australia, as well as experts, researchers, and doctors. A consumer marketing campaign will support About Bloody Time, with promotion across print, digital, radio and social channels.
Ultimately, About Bloody Time will encourage Australians to sign a petition calling for better Medicare funding, and to use the petition to encourage legislators to add a Medicare item number – to help more women be diagnosed sooner.
"Getting help is hard – for women from rural and regional Australia, it's almost impossible," Warren continued.
“The current Medicare system pays a very low rebate for gynaecological care, leaving women with two options: short consults that barely scratch the surface of their issues, or huge out of pocket expenses. For many, it’s both.
"Women are tired of suffering in silence. Of being unable to access appropriate medical care, or being thousands of dollars out of pocket when they do. It's About Bloody Time this changed."
