BCHS Annual Report 2025 - Report - Page 10
Endo education evening hears
‘it’s never just a period!’
More than 40 GPs from across the
Murray Primary Health Network
gathered in March 2025 to hear
the BCHS Endometriosis and
Pelvic Pain Clinic team present
on understanding endometriosis,
available services and referral
pathways into the clinic.
The education evening came as the clinic
marked its one-year anniversary during
Endometriosis Awareness Month, and
heard from doctor Karishma Kaur, nurse
Mary-Anne McCluskey and psychologist
Mary Sandilands, with a portion of
the presentation dedicated to hearing
from those with lived experience of
endometriosis.
“We really wanted the evening to be as
informative as possible and the feedback
we’ve had is that it was, which is fantastic
to hear,” Dr Kaur said.
“We covered a wide range of topics, from
what endometriosis is, to what patients
can expect when visiting the clinic, to best
practices for GPs when it comes to women’s
pain to myths we deal with on a daily basis
at the clinic.”
“I felt heard. I
felt seen. I had
options.”
Rhiannan’s story:
Rhiannan’s journey began when she
was just 10.
After years of pain and dismissal
she realised while at university that
it was likely she had endometriosis.
Advised surgery was the only option,
she underwent a laparoscopy, was
diagnosed with stage 4 endometriosis
and told to have kids as soon as
possible. She was 23.
Rhiannan waited for the right time for
her and now has two healthy children.
It was only after her second was born
that she decided she needed to face
her pain again.
“When they announced the
Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic
I was so determined to get an
10
appointment that I wrote my own
referral and sent it to my GP who then
sent it to the clinic,” she said.
Her experience at the clinic was unlike
any other.
“The sta昀昀 at the clinic were so
amazing. They took so much time
with me – to listen, to understand, to
explain,” Rhiannan said.
“I came in looking for a 昀椀x and Dr
Kaur was very honest with me and
she said, ‘There is no 昀椀x.’ That was
okay though. I felt heard. I felt seen.
I had options. I wasn’t just a number.
I wasn’t just another surgery on the
list.”
