Since being diagnosed in 2011, she has endured two rounds of endometriosis excision, a bowel disc resection, and a full hysterectomy with only the preservation of her right ovary.

Ms Burgess said she faced more major medical interventions to make life with endometriosis more manageable, as she was still in pain. 

“You’re literally spending 24-7 fighting your body,” she said.

But news of a National Action Plan for Endometriosis, on Thursday, had her feeling optimistic.

“It’s definitely a huge step forward,” Ms Burgess said.

The plan aims to develop better diagnostic and treatment options, speed up diagnosis, and improve awareness and understanding of the condition, and has been welcomed by central Victorian health service providers.

Ms Burgess said just raising awareness and understanding of the condition was something to be grateful for.

“There are so many myths out there women are still being told,” she said.

For years, fellow Bendigo woman Abbie Harrington said doctors normalised or brushed off her symptoms.

The 22-year-old started seeking medical help shortly after her periods started, and said she had to fight for keyhole surgery to explore the possibility of endometriosis.

“I pushed and said, ‘I’m not going through this anymore,” Ms Harrington said.

She said she endured years of unnecessary appointments, medications and procedures before a laparoscopy confirmed endometriosis.

Ms Harrington said she might be facing yearly operations to manage her symptoms.

Asked what she thought of a national plan for endometriosis, she said: “It’s needed”.

Bendigo gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Angelika Borozdina believed patients’ experiences were improving, with greater awareness and understanding of the condition within both the broader community and among medical practitioners.

Gone were the days when she said women felt they needed to put up with the pain.

“They’re coming for help. All their questions and their concerns are becoming heard more often,” Dr Borozdina said.

Bendigo woman Shannon Wallace said she had noticed an improvement in medical practitioners’ attitudes towards her as an endometriosis patient now compared with when she first had surgery three years ago.

But she said there was still scope for greater understanding within the broader community. 

“A lot of the time when I’m having, I call it an endo day, people think I’m putting it on,” Miss Wallace said.

Dr Borozdina highlighted the importance of specialists as leaders in the treatment of endometriosis, and was hopeful the action plan would see more women referred to specialists sooner.

“We know the process for establishing this diagnosis is laparoscopic surgery, which is a keyhole surgery, and it’s done by the specialist,” Dr Borozdina said.

“Of course, once we establish a diagnosis, then we can refer the patient for other different specialists to help the patient manage the endometriosis until we find the reason why patients have endometriosis, and this is the matter of having research - it probably will help to cure it.”

She believed there were were enough specialists in Bendigo able to perform the surgeries to diagnose and treat endometriosis.

“The post-surgical treatment, this is what we are missing at the moment,” she said.

Though Dr Borozdina said the region had access to pain management specialists, she said many had high caseloads.

“Basically we've got the resources to perform the surgery, make the diagnosis, and then we need to refer [to a pain management specialist] and it's not always easy to find a specialist in Bendigo to refer patients appropriately or it's a long wait,” she said.

PAIN management remains an issue for endometriosis patients in central Victoria, according to a Bendigo specialist.

Gynaecologist and obstetrician Dr Angelika Borozdina said patients with the chronic menstrual health disorder were still largely dependent on strong pain medication like opioids to manage their symptoms.

“Which has never been good enough,” she said.

“Non-pharmacological treatment of endometriosis would be much better.”

She was hopeful Australia’s first National Action Plan for Endometriosis, released on Thursday, would lead to better outcomes for patients.

The federal government announced funding for research as part of the plan’s launch, which the Bendigo specialist welcomed.

“Having research done has no end of value,” Dr Borozdina said.

But she said creating a multi-disciplinary team for endometriosis treatment was probably the most important thing.

“Treatment of endometriosis is not only about surgery,” Dr Borozdina said. 

“Patients who suffer from endometriosis, particularly in severe cases, need not only gynaecologists: they need a psychologist... a physiotherapist... maybe a physician who is going to look after them in the long-term, or a GP who is going to provide care for the long-term.”

A need for broader multi-disciplinary treatment options was among the points highlighted in the 25-page action plan, along with earlier diagnosis and intervention and clear care management pathways.

“This is the first in Australia [that] we have ever had this attention for patients who suffer with endometriosis,” Dr Borozdina said.

“[The government] is investing such a huge amount of money, so we should get some results.”

There is presently no known cure for the endometriosis, which affects 700,000 women and girls in Australia.

(DOCUMENT: National Action Plan for Endometriosis)

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