One in seven Australian women aged 44–49 have endometriosis, report finds

Around 14 per cent of Australian women aged 44–49 are estimated to have endometriosis, a new report has shown.

The report, conducted by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, includes the most recent prevalence estimates on the historically under-recognised condition.

The disease, which the World Health Organization estimates affects one in 10 women and girls globally, can have enormous implications, affecting anything from women’s mental health and quality of life to their education, productivity and relationships.

Researchers at the University of Queensland used data from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health, along with health service data, to estimate the prevalence of endometriosis in two groups of women – those born between 1973 and 1978 and those born between 1989 and 1995.

The estimates show that women are being diagnosed with endometriosis at earlier ages.

By age 31, 9.2 per cent of women born between 1989 and 1995 were diagnosed with endometriosis, compared with 6.9 per cent of women born between 1973 and 1978 at the same age.

Katherine Faulks, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare spokesperson, said: “Endometriosis is a long-term condition that causes inflammation and scarring, which can lead to painful adhesions joining together pelvic organs that are normally separate.

“Women may experience pain, heavy menstrual bleeding, bleeding between periods, abdominal bloating, fatigue, anxiety, depression and reduced fertility, among other symptoms.

“The rise in diagnoses may reflect increased awareness of endometriosis among the general public and health professionals, leading to increased diagnosis and/or reporting of diagnosis among women born more recently.”

Diagnosis and management of endometriosis is complex, with an average of between six and eight years between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis, according to Endometriosis Australia.

There were 40,500 endometriosis-related hospitalisations in 2021–22 and endometriosis was the 20^th most common reason for hospitalisation among those aged 1544.

The rate of hospitalisation has almost doubled in the last 10 years from 160 hospitalisations per 100,000 females in 2011–12 to 310 hospitalisations per 100,000 females.

While hospitalisations in Australia are generally increasing over time, official figures suggest that the growth of endometriosis-related hospitalisations was greater than that seen for all female hospitalisations between 2011–12 and 2021–22.

The greatest increase, the report has found, was seen among ages 20–24, with the rate doubling between 2011–12 and 2021–22. Endometriosis was among the leading causes of hospital admissions in this age group.

Endometriosis-related hospitalisations were more likely to be partly or fully funded by private health insurance than all hospitalisations for females, and around twice as likely to be self-funded as all hospitalisations for females.

The report has also shown a lower rate of endometriosis-related hospitalisations among First Nations people and people living in lower socioeconomic areas and remote areas of Australia, but further work is needed to understand the impact of endometriosis on priority populations, researchers have concluded.