Rachel Hosking lay on the floor bleeding and wondered if dying would be less painful.
Just a teenager at the time, Hosking suffered from undiagnosed and debilitating endometriosis.
It took more than five years for Hosking to receive a diagnosis and she’s struggled to afford treatment and other costs associated with endometriosis ever since.
So when she learned a new endometriosis medication is set to be added to the pharmaceutical benefits scheme (PBS) on May 1 as part of the Labor Government’s $573 million investment into women’s health, she was thrilled.
Relugolix with estradiol and with norethisterone (sold as Ryeqo), can be used to alleviate the symptoms of endometriosis and currently costs about $140 per month
When subsidised, that cost will be slashed to about $32 per month.
It’s the second endometriosis treatment in 30 years to be subsidised by the federal government, following the addition of the drug Visanne to the PBS in December 2024.
Hosking hasn’t used the drug and makes no claims about its efficacy.
She’s just happy to see more affordable treatment options being made available to the 830,000 Australians living with endometriosis.
“I’ve tried everything, so having another new drug on the PBS could be beneficial,” Hosking told 9news.com.au.
“The costs associated with [endometriosis] medications is something that really puts people off being able to even look after their own bodies.”
A 22-year-old PhD student in endometriosis research, Hosking simply can’t afford to try any endometriosis treatments that aren’t subsidised.
She already spends about $400 on managing her endometriosis every month across medications, physiotherapy, hospital bills, and other costs associated with the disease.
“I don’t have the funds to treat myself, so I’m sort of in a holding pattern,” she said, adding that her treatment options have been severely limited until now.
Endometriosis isn’t just draining the bank accounts of those living with the disease either; it also costs the Australian economy $9.7 billion every year.
Dr Sneha Wadhwani, Clinical Director for Evoca Women’s Health Clinics and GP specialising in women’s health, said that adding more treatment options to the PBS will help the Australian economy and the hip pockets of those living with endometriosis.
Subsidising the cost of endometriosis medications will save individuals like Hosking money and make specific treatment options more accessible.
“If women are then able to get up and go to work and perform to the best of their ability, then that’s that’s obviously going to impact the economy in a positive way,” Wadhwani said.
“And if our girls are able to go to school and attend every single day of school in the way they’re supposed to, rather than missing school because of endometriosis related pain … they’re going to come out achieving better and more productive roles in society.”
These are the most miserable countries in the world
By investing in better endometriosis treatment, the federal government is investing in a better future for the almost one million Australians living with the disease and a better economy too.
Wadhwani added that endometriosis affects individuals from all walks of life and socioeconomic backgrounds, so providing affordable treatment options is vital.
Furthermore, adding endometriosis treatments to the PBS will help broaden the pool of treatment options available to sufferers, making it more likely that they will find one – or a combination of several – that works for them.
“We know that a quarter to a third of women don’t respond to their first treatment,” Wadhwani said, so having more options available to try is vital.
But treatment options are just one stepping stone on the path towards addressing endometriosis in Australia.
The government (be it Labor or Liberal, come the 2025 federal election) must continue to invest in endometriosis research, diagnosis, treatment and other services in the long-term if the one in seven Australian women living with the disease are to thrive.
“We are currently at like, the fifth circle of hell,” Hosking said of the current situation for endometriosis patients in Australia, “And it’d be nice to just move up a level or two.”
