Íæż½ã½ãWelcomes New Recommendations to Enhance and Support the Treatment and Management of Endometriosis
RANZCOG
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists
21 March 2025
The Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG; the College) welcomes the report of the South Australia Select Committee on Endometriosis that was released on 19 March 2025.
The College participated in the work of the Select Committee throughout its Inquiry, providing written evidence to the initial public consultation in May 2024, and following up with expert testimony provided by Íæż½ã½ãCouncillor for South Australia, Dr Magda Halt, and Chair of RANZCOG’s South Australia-Northern Territory Committee, Dr Heather Waterfall, in August 2024.
The College’s Recommendations:
RANZCOG’s written submission stressed the need to focus on a multidisciplinary approach to caring for chronic pain, including endometriosis. The College recommended that the best approach would better recognise the role of the team in community care, inclusive of gynaecologists, general practitioners, and nursing and allied health partners. Consistent access to primary care is a distinct enabler in helping make this multidisciplinary model work for patients.
The College highlighted the need for better availability and knowledge of public health resources, supporting public education of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain for all Australians. Íæż½ã½ãpointed to a number of publicly available resources that can be better applied in educational environments where this kind of knowledge is best shared, such as the Australian Pelvic Pain Foundation’s .
Better training and education for health professionals is also vital for the treatment of endometriosis and persistent pelvic pain. The College suggested expanding the accessibility of training to physiotherapists, psychologists and dieticians who may be involved in endometriosis or pelvic pain. Íæż½ã½ãcalled for the expansion of specific training resources for nurses to assist in developing specialised nursing capabilities for the treatment of endometriosis.
From a system perspective, Íæż½ã½ãreiterated the need for endometriosis care to be well resourced and available in public hospitals. This included recommendations to expand the available rebates under relevant MBS items for gynaecology consultations, which has been forthcoming from the federal government. The College also called for better access to IUD insertion, which also seems to be forthcoming with new funding promised by the federal government. Íæż½ã½ãalso recommended the consideration of funding for specialised clinics focused on chronic pelvic pain that can take the pressure off general gynaecology clinics. Better coordination amongst publicly available services was also recommended. Seeking care for chronic pelvic pain and endometriosis can be difficult for patients to navigate in a referral environment that is not always smooth and user friendly.
In the private realm, cost is a primary consideration. Private gynaecology provides excellent continuity of care and often takes the burden off the public system, but cost barriers can be significant for some patients. Continuing to increase the rebates available for private treatment will help.
The testimony by Dr Halt and Dr Waterfall echoed many of the recommendations made in RANZCOG’s written submission but was supplemented by their experience in navigating care for patients with endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in the South Australian health system (both public and private).
Highlights from the Report
The College was reassured to see alignment with most of the College’s recommendations in the Select Committee’s report.
The Report makes 20 recommendations, with the overarching goal of reducing the average time of diagnosis of endometriosis from six years to one year. Taken together, the recommendations should support the general promotion of endometriosis awareness and knowledge among health professionals and the general public, enhance training and education resources and make access to care easier.
The recommendations can be broadly grouped into thematic areas:
Education and training for health professionals
System improvements
Reducing financial barriers to access
Public awareness, education and social policy interventions
Research
The College was particularly pleased to see commentary about the need to remove barriers in the Medicare Benefits Scheme that make it difficult to provide and access some services, as well as supporting the speedy listing of effective endometriosis medications on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Schedule. The College also supports further investment in making best practice advice and clinical guidelines available to more health professionals, and notes that the updated Commonwealth funded Íæż½ã½ãAustralian Living Evidence Guideline: Endometriosis will be published in the coming months. The College reiterates that decisions about system improvements and the treatment and management of endometriosis must remain strongly evidence-based.
For media enquiries
Bec McPhee
Head of Advocacy & Communications
bmcphee@ranzcog.edu.au
+61 413 258 166