For 15 years, Katrina Moore experienced debilitating pain that at times left her unable to walk but was dismissed by doctors as being a symptom of stress.
The actual cause was endometriosis, a condition that affects more than one million Australian women and girls.
Endometriosis is a disease where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside it, causing severe pain in the pelvis, bowel and bladder. It can also cause infertility.
Ms Moore, 47, was not medically diagnosed with endometriosis until she turned 40, despite years of seeking help for pain, fatigue and infertility.
“In many ways I feel I was medically gaslit and learned how you really need to advocate for yourself,” she told AAP.
“Women’s pain historically just hasn’t been taken seriously.”
Ms Moore underwent a laparoscopy in 2021, followed by a hysterectomy a year later.
But at the beginning of 2025 she tried a new treatment, usually associated with banishing wrinkles: botox.
Having used botox to treat a temporomandibular disorder – which causes pain and compromised movement of the jaw – Ms Moore wondered if injections to her pelvic floor would have a similar effect.
“I did some research and realised my gynaecologist actually offered these injections, but at first my pelvic floor physio wasn’t sure about it because it’s quite a new treatment,” she said.
Deciding to bite the bullet and try the injections, Ms Moore said the difference had been life-changing.
“I’ve gone from having 24/7 pain to just a couple of days a month which is far more tolerable, plus I’m not taking anywhere near as much pain medication and can do far more pelvic physio,” she said.
“This isn’t a magic bullet and it’s not that I don’t have symptoms anymore, but I can go to bed at night now and actually sleep whereas before I needed a stack of painkillers and a hot water bottle.”
Albert Jung is a leading gynaecologist at Brisbane’s Mater Private Hospital who treated Ms Moore.
He has treated 40 women with the injections to alleviate endometriosis-related pain.
Mater patients are injected with Dysport, a brand similar to but cheaper than Botox.
Both contain botulinum toxin, a neurotoxin that temporarily paralyses muscles and helps ease pain.
“This is a fairly new technique, first prescribed about 10 years ago but there is data that goes back about 20 years,” Dr Jung said.
“The evidence is there to suggest that this does help women with persistent pelvic pain and the treatment can last about six months.”
The injection is placed into the groin to help mechanically relax and temporarily paralyse the muscles which have contracted due to the pain.
“Patients with persistent pelvic pain, which can be secondary to endometriosis, will often have overactive pelvic floor muscles,” Dr Jung said.
“It is a relatively low-risk procedure and has a much better outcome than repeat laparoscopies. The treatment can be very effective in some patients.”
Injections needed to work hand-in-hand with ongoing pelvic physio for maximum effectiveness, Dr Jung added.
In December the Albanese government announced a plan to subsidise a treatment for the disease which had previously left patients roughly $750 out of pocket every year.
The announcement was part of a more than $107 million investment to support Australians with endometriosis, covering research, intervention and treatment.
The fact that governments were finally acknowledging the huge costs of the disease to individuals was significant, Ms Moore said.
“I’ve spent six figures in the last seven years for medical treatment, ongoing physio and operations,” she said.
“I was $500 out of pocket for the botox which is relatively affordable compared to other treatments and also far less invasive.”