A Victorian MP is calling for $35 million to set up Australia's first specialised endometriosis centre, to provide better outcomes for patients and enhance research into the disorder.
To coincide with Endometriosis Awareness Month in March, Reason Party leader Fiona Patten said a multi-disciplinary endometriosis centre is urgently needed.
"It affects one in nine women in Victoria. It costs Australia $10 billion a year. So any money that we spend on this will be offset by productivity and savings and acute health care," she told reporters on Wednesday.
"There are no centres like this in Australia."
She said the proposed centre will be patient-facing but will also help educate doctors, spread awareness about the disease in the public and conduct its own research.
As the budget looms, Ms Patten is calling on state and federal governments to jointly fund the centre.
"We are in that budget bid wishlist space at the moment, so we have certainly put forward budget bids for an endometriosis policy research and a specialist centre," she said.
"But where that lands will be entirely in the government's hands."
Health Minister Martin Foley is yet to speak to Ms Patten about the centre, but acknowledged that endometriosis is a debilitating illness with significant consequences for women.
"We're open to all of those discussions," he said.
"We need to make sure that we have the best opportunities for awareness, treatment and recovery."
Premier Daniel Andrews said the state government welcomed any ideas that could support women suffering endometriosis.
It is a painful disorder which occurs when tissue grows outside the uterus, and a chronic disease associated with life-impacting pain during periods.
Endometriosis can cause infertility, however its broad symptoms mean it's not easily diagnosed by health professionals.
