Drysdale pelvic pain nurse Anna Price-Smith helps women with endometriosis

A Drysdale woman hopes to improve care for others suffering the same condition she waited many years to be diagnosed with.

Geelong nurse Anna Price-Smith has had a long battle with endometriosis. Picture: Mark Wilson

                      

It takes an average of six to eight years for a woman to receive a diagnosis of endometriosis, but a Drysdale woman waited 18 years before her pain and symptoms could be explained.

Anna Price-Smith said she was always told painful periods were normal and it was just unlucky if that was your experience.

When she had ultrasounds in her 20s her doctors said everything looked normal and it wasn’t until she started to try for a baby that she received a diagnosis.

“When I was trying to have a baby I got a referral to a gynaecologist and was told I probably had endometriosis from the ultrasound done then,” she said.

“I had my first laparoscopy and found out I had stage four endo.

“There was a rollercoaster of relief and then grief and anger with not being diagnosed earlier.”

The incurable condition can lead to debilitating pelvic pain, bladder and gut problems, painful sex, and infertility.

Mrs Price-Smith, 44, now has two sons after five rounds of IVF and a miscarriage.

She has had two laparoscopies, a type of keyhole surgery, one which included a bowel resection and removal of her right ovary.

“When I was first diagnosed in 2016 there wasn’t much information online and no support that I could find,” she said.

Endometriosis support nurse Anna Price-Smith will MC the Women’s Health Matters forum. Picture: Mark Wilson

“There’s still huge barriers to getting care but awareness, funding and research has increased.”

In 2021, Mrs Price-Smith approached Obstetrics and Gynaecology Ballarat and Surf Coast with a proposal to become the first specialised Victorian endometriosis support nurse outside of Melbourne.

Since taking on that role she said she had the privilege to tailor her care to what the patient needed, and her lived experience helped people relate to her.

“I can say, ‘I have literally been on the floor as well so I know what you mean’ and they say, ‘oh you get it’,” she said.

Mrs Price-Smith, who also works for Kardinia Health in the pelvic pain and endometriosis clinic, said multidisciplinary care was crucial.

“Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease and it is a condition that impacts the whole body and needs lots of different aspects of care besides surgery,” she said.

“No one should be suffering and putting up with pain.”

“People should not accept being ignored or not receiving the care they are seeking.”

Mrs Price-Smith will be MC at Epworth Geelong’s Women’s Health Matters forum on November 12 from 5.30pm.

Geelong gastroenterologist Dr Chris Hair and gynaecologist Dr Alex Bonner are among the speakers for the event as they aim to change how long it takes women to receive a diagnosis.

Tickets for the free event are available at events.humanitix.com/women-s-health-matters-understanding-fertility-pain-and-wellness

The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.

Originally published as Drysdale pelvic pain nurse Anna Price-Smith helps women with endometriosis