Former Gold Coast radio star Bianca Dye gets candid about debilitating health struggle

Former Gold Coast radio star Bianca Dye has spoken about the pressure of battling a debilitating health condition while juggling her professional career behind the microphone.

Former Gold Coast radio star Bianca Dye says she felt the pressure to “take a Panadol and toughen up” behind the microphone while struggling with a debilitating health condition.

Ms Dye told the Bulletin she was spent thousands of dollars on IVF treatments that were doomed to fail after doctors and reproductive health specialists did not test her for endometriosis.

Bianca Dye has opened up the struglle to balance life and work with a debilitating conditon. Picture: Glenn Campbell

Three miscarriages later, and struggling with debilitating cramps, migraines, fatigue and bloating she was eventually diagnosed with endometriosis and adenomyosis.

Endometriosis is a disease that causes abnormal growths outside the uterus while adenomyosis causes growths within the uterine muscle wall. Both cause severe pain, heavy bleeding and make it hard for women to get pregnant.

Despite the diagnosis she said people she worked with still dismissed her pain.

“Being in a male dominated industry, if you don’t have female bosses who understand, it’s a real struggle,” she said.

“You feel this real sense of shame, you know – ‘take a Panadol and toughen up’ – but it doesn’t work that way.”

“And the pain medication I had to take for that made me so groggy. There was no way I could take them then get on the radio and be funny, bubbly Bianca,” she said.

Ben Hannant, Bianca Dye and Dan Anstey from 90.9 Sea FM

Ms Dye recalled keeping a hot water bottle in the studio to manage her pain.

“And they didn’t get it, there was no compassion,” she said.

“I remember thinking, I’m not sitting here with a hot water bottle for fun, I’m not just making this up. There was no real sympathy in the early days because people didn’t understand it.

“But I also have no grudges because it wasn’t talked about.”

Ms Dye said in the 15 years since she was first diagnosed, medical advancements and greater community awareness meant reproductive health was “finally being taken seriously”.

Medical Super Clinic Benowa has become the first federally-funded clinic on the Gold Coast to offer dedicated endometriosis and pelvic pain care.

It is one of 20 clinics funded under the Albanese Government’s $58.3 million package promising to deliver “multidisciplinary services and care” across all states and territories.

Medical Super Clinic Clinical Director Dr Vicki Evans and Lead GP of the Pelvic Pain and Endometriosis Clinic and Dr Laura Whyte have been treating patients at the Gold Coast's first federally-funded dedicated endometriosis and pelvic pain clinic. Picture: Supplied

The clinic will receive around $700,000 over four years to support staff, resourcing, training and development with initial consultations bulk-billed, a spokeswoman said.

Endometriosis affects at least one in nine Australian women, with those suffering waiting seven years on average on average before diagnosis.

Pelvic pain can be similarly complex and is estimated to cost the Australian economy $6 billion a year.

Ms Dye said with the opening of the new clinic, there was no reason why women should not get tested for endometriosis.

“Many women with endometriosis can get pregnant, you can manage your condition, but you need to be diagnosed early,” she said

“So for God’s sake, don’t be like me and wait for three miscarriages and drain thousands of dollars on IVF before asking your doctor about endometriosis.”

Originally published as Former Gold Coast radio star Bianca Dye gets candid about debilitating health struggle