The Australian government is providing almost $700,000 to fund new research investigating the impact of endometriosis on women’s fertility.
 
Endometriosis is a painful, often debilitating and incurable condition which affects 1 in 9 Australian women. Sufferers can experience a range of symptoms that impact their daily lives, including severe pelvic pain and struggling to fall pregnant.
 
The EndoLinked project will study reproductive and maternal outcomes, including the effect of fertility treatments, for Australian women with endometriosis compared with those of women without the condition.
 
The project will also assess any health impacts for newborn babies born to women with endometriosis and determine if there are any linked issues.
 
Women with endometriosis often undergo surgery to remove the tissue and cysts which grow on on the ovaries and other organs, sometimes requiring multiple surgeries. The EndoLinked project will compare women who have had surgery with women who have not had surgery, to see if there are different results with fertility treatments.
 
The EndoLinked project will also inform the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) Endometriosis Clinical Practice Guidelines which will help doctors diagnose and manage endometriosis with their patients. This will more broadly help all women living with endometriosis.