Grace Tame has revealed she is among the one in seven Australian women living with endometriosis, after years of dismissing her symptoms and managing chronic pelvic pain which she initially put down to her traumatic experiences of child sex abuse.
The campaigner has revealed she underwent surgery last month to excise endometriosis from her bowel, pelvic walls and sacral ligaments.
Around one million Aussies are suffering from endometriosis, a chronic condition that causes pain and infertility. There is no cure.
“It’s easy to fall into the trap of internalising trauma to our detriment,” she said.
“I always assumed persistent sexual abuse alone caused my chronic pelvic pain, and learned to disassociate from most of it.
“The episodes of violent sickness I put down to food poisoning. That is, until the end of 2022, when I began vomiting weekly into early 2023.
“After negative screenings for Crohn’s, coeliac and IBD, my cousin Morgan encouraged me to see a gynaecologist for the first time in over a decade.”
Ms Tame said in an Instagram post that her gynaecologist suspected endo, with the diagnosis confirmed in a laparoscopic operation
“On 24 May, I had a laparoscopy to excise endometriosis from around my bowel, pelvic walls and sacral ligaments.
“Surgery went smoothly, and as I write this, I can’t help but feel extremely grateful to be where I am, even if removal isn’t the panacea for this disease,” she said.
“Grateful knowing, in the absence of both prevention and cure, there are still options, and we’re not alone.
“Grateful for the friends, family and co-workers who continue to provide unflinching support, patience and understanding despite the unanswered texts and unmet deadlines. Grateful that — while women’s reproductive health is underfunded, under-researched, underreported and generally undervalued — I can afford and access treatment.
“As many as 1 in 7 women suffer from endometriosis. At least my sore, swollen belly is safe. Around the world, including here in Australia, countless marginalised women are denied the basic human right to healthcare.”
In March, news.com.au launched a new editorial campaign, About Bloody Time, aimed at advocating for longer, Medicare-funded consultations for endometriosis diagnosis and treatment.
The campaign was prompted by a news.com.au reader survey of over 1700 endometriosis sufferers, revealing a concerning trend of women being denied pain medication, labelled as drama queens, and referred for psychiatric assessment by doctors dismissing their period pain caused by endometriosis.
“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,” said news.com.au editor, Kerry Warren.
“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.
“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.”
Two months after the launch of the campaign, the Federal Government announced a $49.1 million investment into tackling the condition.
From July 1, 2025, women suffering from endometriosis will have longer specialist consultations of 45 minutes or more covered under Medicare.
Health minister Mark Butler said he was “deeply moved by the women who spoke about their experience with endometriosis during the About Bloody Time campaign”.
“I hope through this announcement today they feel listened to,” he said.
News.com.au launched the campaign with a highly personal and compelling video featuring senior reporter Lexie Cartwright, who suffers from endometriosis and led the campaign.
The video was viewed more than 4.4 million times across news.com.au and its social channels, and was critical to the success of the campaign.
“News.com.au has an audience of almost 13 million and we wanted to use our reach to advocate for change and lift the standard of care nationwide,” said Lisa Muxworthy, editor-in-chief.
“The win today highlights the importance of journalism and our ability to build a better Australia for all Australians. We are all here to make a difference, push boundaries and have the courage to challenge the way things are done”.