“This is just something that women have to go through,” someone with endometriosis, a largely misunderstood illness, was likely advised.
Rising cases of endometriosis, a disease where tissue similar to the uterine lining spreads outside of the uterus, are one of many pressing issues in women’s health. Academic literature saw a 32% increase in diagnoses per 10,000 patients from 2017 to 2024, and the World Health Organisation estimates that 10 per cent of women of reproductive age globally are affected by the disease as of 2025.
Despite its prevalence, endometriosis research continues to lag, reflecting broader gender gaps in healthcare.
Further than period cramps
The symptoms of endometriosis include severe and chronic abdominal-pelvic pain as well as heavy menstrual bleeding. There is also infertility, bleeding between periods, bloating, and nausea. Endometriosis causes affected areas to become inflamed, which can lead to cysts, scarring, and adhesions. This can also spread to other organs, causing disturbances in digestion and the bladder.
Kadi Paton, a Sydney-based drag queen who was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2025, has experienced the majority of the above symptoms. “Most of it is just a lot of pelvic pain,” they said, while listing bladder issues and frequent urination, thigh pain, heavy bleeding with large blood clots, and bleeding outside of menstruation.
“The pain sits around five to seven on a good day, and then on my really bad days, I would consider it to be a 10,” Paton explains.
The Journal of Endometriosis and Uterine Disorders recorded that around 67% of women miss work or school due to endometriosis. Paton, more so, had to quit full-time work as symptoms worsened. “I can’t stand or walk for very long periods of time, which also affects my drag work because of the physical movements and being in heels.”
Their social life was also affected. “Endometriosis hinders my confidence a lot because when I'm in so much pain and when I'm having these bladder problems, I'm just very brought down by it and I don't feel great,” they shared.
Treatments that don’t heal
Treatment of endometriosis involves symptom management, including surgical interventions such as laparoscopy, and, more rarely, hysterectomy, alongside medications like painkillers and hormone therapies, including birth control and hormone suppressants.
Paton listed their treatment as purely surgical, including laparoscopy, cystectomy, and dilation and curettage to remove tissue from their stomach, left ovary, and vagina. They explained that cysts on their left ovary led to tissue spreading to the bladder, where growths later connected to the pelvic wall and the uterus adhered to the spine.
All of this tissue had to be surgically removed, and Paton said their symptoms fluctuated after surgery. “One month I would be completely fine and my period would feel super normal, and then the next month I would be bedbound for days.”
They were recommended an intrauterine device (IUD). “I haven’t taken that step yet because birth control is a bit of a nightmare and it scares me,” they expressed.
Paton’s concern over birth control and other hormone therapies stems from the intense side effects many women endure, including headaches, mood swings, nausea and vomiting, fatigue, depression, body pain, and much more.
Are pain and drama really part of womanhood?
Women frequently experience gaslighting, misogyny, and neglect in both societal and medical settings. Paton, like many others, has been told that pain is “a part of womanhood.” Since the onset of their symptoms at age 12, doctors dismissed their pain as “[her] body adjusting to getting a period.”
Paton reflected on how society responds to endometriosis, from their former workplace to their family, “I find that even women I have been around don’t understand it either. I feel like it's only people with endometriosis who understand."
They add that “people just don't understand endometriosis, and it makes them cold towards you when you try to talk about your experiences or how you're feeling, because a lot of the time we’re seen as just really, really dramatic.”
To address gaps in endometriosis research and women’s healthcare, open conversations must be shared from bigger institutions up to the citizens. Paton says that more research and conversation can bring an uproar, getting more improvements to treatment, education, and overall care.
“It is one of the best things that can happen for the study of endometriosis,” they said.
This article is part of the 2026 Semester 1 edition of "Growing Strong", also known as "Women's Honi", a Honi Soit special print issue in collaboration with the University of Sydney Women's Collective.