Endometriosis often takes a long time to be diagnosed and affects all areas of a woman's life, from sex to emotional wellbeing, from personal relationships to work. 

Endometriosis is a chronic, recurring disease that is experienced by approximately 10 per cent of women worldwide. Common symptoms include painful menstruation, heavy menstrual bleeding, painful sex and infertility.

A recent paper by Monash University's Kate Young in the Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care reviewed a number of surveys that documented women's experiences of endometriosis.  She found that women were more likely to be diagnosed sooner when they approached their doctor describing symptoms as fertility-related rather than a menstrual issue.  

"The most common theme was that women had experienced delays in diagnosis,"Young said. "Some women initially delayed seeking help for their symptoms because they believed all women had painful periods. When women revealed their symptoms to a family member, friend or medical professional their experiences were typically normalized as being what all women must endure." Ms Young said.

Survey respondents often felt frustrated and angry at unsatisfactory experiences with health care providers, and had concerns about the effectiveness and side effects of treatments.

"Women want their doctors to really listen to their experience and concerns. They want to explain the true impact of the condition on their lives, rather than simply rank their pain on a scale from one to 10," Young said. She also says that further research is needed to gain a comprehensive understanding of endometriosis as experienced by diverse groups of women.

"The next stage of my research is to conduct interviews with women from different ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and also recruit more GPs from rural and urban settings to take part in the research," Young said.