EVEN the seemingly simple treatments to be made available in Ballarat's new, free women's health clinic can be "life-altering", obstetrician gynaecologist Natasha Frawley says.
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Victorian Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas has on April 2 announced Ballarat Base Hospital will house one of the state's first five comprehensive women's clinics.
The Ballarat clinic will open on June 24, 2024, with the aim to make it easier for women to access specialist, holistic health care for a range of conditions including, but not limited to, endometriosis, pelvic pain, polycystic ovary syndrome, perimenopause and menopause.
Grampians Health is continuing to determine finer details for how women in the region can access the clinic, especially amid major hospital redevelopment works, are still being fine-tuned.
Dr Frawley said having multiple clinicians in the same site, including gynaecologists, physiotherapists and nurses, was important in optimising patient care but the clinic was also a vital step to improving equity in healthcare for women in regional areas.
"I think the first step is also just increasing women's awareness of that they can access health care for conditions like menopause or chronic pain," Dr Frawley said.
"For example, I saw a patient who had, you know, for a long time thought that her pain was normal and her heavy bleeding was normal. And for three years, she hadn't sought care.
"Then she did get a referral to see a specialist and then she did access some Mirena treatment, which did improve her symptoms significantly. It allowed her to attend to work normally when previously she hadn't been able to.
"Things that can be relatively simply fixed can be just through access."
What care is available for the wider Grampians region?
Ballarat obstetrician Patrick Moloney and wife Brigid Moloney, a former podiatrist with a marketing and communications background, opened the city's first dedicated, holistic women's clinic almost two years ago in Mair Street.
Patients have travelled to the private clinic from across the state, largely aware of the clinic through The Kick Pregnancy Podcast.
The state government will also open public women's clinics in Frankston, Geelong and metropolitan-based Northern and Royal Women's hospitals.
Grampians Health hospitals chief operating officer Ben Kelly welcomed the announcement for Ballarat for offering care closer to home but Mr Kelly said this was also an important step for people across the Grampians region.
"Ballarat's been blessed for a long time having access to great quality services but we want to make those services publicly available to those who might not have the means to pay for it," Mr Kelly said.
"It's really important to us as a public health service to make sure that services are accessible and making sure that they're, they're within a reasonable travelling distance."
The comprehensive women's health clinic roll-out has plans for 20 clinics in the next four years.
Ripon MP Martha Haylett said it was great for Ballarat to be "one of the first cabs off the rank" but there would also be programs to help women further afield in regional Victoria to access specialised care, without the need for a general practitioner's referral, closer to home.
"[The clinic] won't just benefit women here in Ballarat, but it'll benefit women all across the region," Ms Haylett said.
"We're also going to have a mobile women's health clinic that will be roaming around those rural and remote areas of Victoria. So that would be fantastic to bring care directly to women."
Call to share the pain
The women's health clinic announcement coincides with the opening of the state government's Women's Pain Survey, which is part of an Australian-first inquiry into women's pain to make recommendations by the end of 2024.
Ms Haylett and Labor colleague, Eureka MP Michaela Settle, urged women to share their pain experience.
"We know for too long, women's pain has been misunderstood, and I know myself when I went through menopause, it wasn't something we talked about publicly," Ms Settle said.
"So, it's incredibly important that we have services that understand women and understand the unique issues that women go through.
"From conception right through to menopause, we bear a pretty heavy load and it's wonderful to have specialised support."
What is 'abnormal' in women's pain?
Dr Frawley said gradually awareness and open talk on women's pain was changing and increasingly becoming defined by the woman.
"If the bleeding is defined as heavy by her and it's impacting her life, that's enough to meet the criteria to define it as abnormal, bleeding or pain," Dr Frawley said.
"If it's impacting the types of activities she needs to do so, people shouldn't have to take sick leave every month, or they shouldn't have to avoid activities due to their menstrual symptoms.
"It's getting that awareness that it's not something to put up with and that there are treatments available. Some [treatments are] simple, some more advanced even including hysterectomy, are sometimes needed.
"But if it's needed, then it can be life altering."
Women can share their experience in the Women's Pain Survey here.
