Endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain are costing New Zealand between $22.6 billion and $31.7 billion a year, according to new research that frames the conditions as a growing economic and productivity issue as well as a health concern.
The findings, published in the journal Women, come from researchers at the National Institute of Complementary Medicine (NICM) at Western Sydney University and the Medical Research Institute of New Zealand (MRINZ).
The team analysed data from 800 participants using a modified World Endometriosis Research Foundation EndoCost protocol to measure healthcare spending, productivity losses and carer burden.
The study estimates lifetime costs of $3.5 million per person with endometriosis and $2.74 million per person with chronic pelvic pain, placing the burden on a similar scale to conditions such as diabetes, Crohn’s disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Chronic pelvic pain affects up to a quarter of reproductive-aged women in New Zealand, while endometriosis is estimated to affect 10 to 14 per cent. Diagnostic delays, historically exceeding eight years, mean many chronic pelvic pain cases are likely undiagnosed endometriosis.
The researchers said this was the first economic model to factor those delays into national cost estimates.
Lost productivity was the largest cost driver, accounting for 65 per cent of the total burden for endometriosis and 75 per cent for chronic pelvic pain. More than 10 million working hours are lost each year, equivalent to several thousand full-time workers leaving the labour force.
“The predominance of productivity loss reflects the chronic and often invisible nature of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain, accentuating the need for policy responses that go beyond acute sick leave models,” said NICM associate professor Mike Armour, the study’s senior author.
Health economist Mark Gannott said system shortcomings were inflating costs. “Diagnostic delays and health system inefficiencies such as poor healthcare access and suboptimal symptom management are likely to be the most significant contributors to the overall cost, however the positive news is that these can be improved with the right funding and support.”
Mr Armour said the findings supported earlier intervention. “This analysis provides a strong fiscal case for investment in early access to medical assessment, especially new techniques and technologies to reduce diagnostic time and improvements in access to expert endometriosis care.”