Victoria's Inquiry into Women's Pain paints a clear picture of the gender pain gap we all knew existed

By Harriet Grummet

The findings of Victoria’s Inquiry into Women’s Pain have been released, and for most women, there are few surprises, writes Harriet Grummet.

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I was one of the 13,000 respondents to Victoria’s Inquiry into Women’s Pain. Introduced by Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, the inquiry was the first of its kind and consulted with patients, carers, and health professionals across the state from January to October 2024. On Sunday, they released the results.

The inquiry found that the most common conditions women are experiencing include period pain, endometriosis, and arthritis. Crucially, it found “widespread experiences of dismissal, disrespect and inadequate treatment” in the health system, along with limited research into women’s health.

Most women could’ve told you this. And as someone with endometriosis, adenomyosis, and chronic pain, I’m certainly not surprised.

I was diagnosed with endo after presenting to the emergency department with pain so extreme that I was vomiting and unable to walk. I remember the woman on triple zero asking me if I had endometriosis. Up until that point, I had never heard of it.

I’d had painful periods for years, but, like most women, I assumed it was “normal.” When I went to the GP about my pain, I was told to try a contraceptive pill. If you find the right fit, the pill can be a great option for pain management—but I’d already trialled multiple pills and experienced severe side effects, and I wasn’t prepared to do that again.

Months later, I went back to the GP. I spoke about my debilitating period pain and how it would leave me bed-bound, unable to study or work, and the semi-permanent rash on my lower abdomen from using a heat pack so often. I was told to take Panadol and Nurofen and download an app. I cried in the car on the way home.

What’s alarming is that I present as the “perfect” patient—white, cis, thin, educated, able-bodied—and I like to think I can advocate for myself. I’m lucky to have private health insurance and the resources to seek health treatment (thanks, mum and dad). And still, my pain was dismissed.

The inquiry’s findings tell the same story.

While 95 per cent of respondents sought professional help for their pain, 71 per cent were ignored or dismissed.

Those facing more social barriers generally experience poorer outcomes: those with disability and from the LGBTQIA+ community reported higher rates of prolonged pain.

Again, yeah—women know this all too well. What I didn’t expect from the report is just how often women experience pain.

After I got an IUD and had surgery to cut out my endometriosis, I continued to experience pain. What was once monthly pain became constant pelvic pain, which then spread across my body. From the moment I woke up until I fell into a fitful sleep, my brain was overcome with the white noise of pain.

Ninety per cent of people who responded to the inquiry have had pain for more than a year, and 54 per cent experience pain daily. An astounding 31 per cent live in constant pain.

If you’ve never experienced chronic pain, the impact it has on your life can be hard to comprehend. The sheer effort it often takes to leave the house—and on bad days, to get out of bed or shower—is profoundly exhausting. Pain can make it difficult to have intimate relationships, not least because of painful sex. It can get in the way of friendships, hobbies, and recreation, as reported by over half of the women in the inquiry.

Pain also tends to have a destructive impact on mental health. 83 per cent of women said their mental health had been impacted due to their pain, reporting symptoms of insomnia, trouble concentrating, negative self-talk, or feeling down, depressed, or hopeless. This, along with the mind-numbing fatigue, leaves us with little space to enjoy life.

So, what do we do about it?

The report made 27 recommendations, including:

● More funding for research into women’s pain

● Better education for health professionals

● Developing a women’s pain action plan

So far, the Allan government has pledged to develop a new pain standard, establish a new specialist clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital, and roll out the “green whistle” for IUD insertion across 20 sexual and reproductive health hubs in Victoria.

Though promising, this only marks the beginning of a long road to addressing the gender pain gap.

With Victoria leading the way, I hope Australia follows suit. My uterus is counting on it.

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About the author

Harriet is a Master of Journalism student with a BA in Philosophy from the University of Melbourne. Her work explores how systems fail the people they’re meant to serve, with a particular focus on health, policy and ethics. You can find her on LinkedIn or Substack.