Latest / The Curve / RTC78: The cost of being a woman: the endometriosis edition.

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RTC78: The cost of being a woman: the endometriosis edition. · The Curve

0:00
Eve Wellness is on a mission to erase shame surrounding taboo health topics like periods,
0:05
hormones, sexual and mental well-being.
0:08
So together we're doing this podcast mini-series all about the cost of being a woman.
0:13
By opening up conversations just like this one, we hope to bring these kinds of topics
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out of the shadows and into the light.
0:19
We want to dissolve the stigma and create space for open and powered discussions around
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what it means and what it costs us to be a woman.
0:28
Eve's products are super high quality.
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There's some of our absolute favourites.
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They've got dosages and forms that match scientific studies, which basically means that they work.
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If you'd like to find out more, you can head to ev wellness.com.
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CURVE.
0:51
Welcome to Raising the Curve, a podcast designed to teach you everything you need to know
0:55
to be better with your money.
0:57
And the wise words of Amy Schumer were slipping carrots into the brownie recipe.
1:02
I don't really get the saying.
1:04
It's kind of like eating vegetables that actually taste good.
1:07
You know, I'm like, still not ready to eat.
1:09
Are you on the script?
1:11
It's basically like saying, investing in finance can be boring, but it totally doesn't need to be here.
1:17
OK, OK, so we're making it fun by putting the carrot.
1:21
OK, the vegetables are good for you.
1:23
It's the brownie recipe.
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OK, we got there, we got there, OK.
1:26
Well, you've really got a finance break.
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Yeah, one of us has to.
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This is a joke.
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OK, come and learn alongside me from Vic Harris, ex-fun manager,
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where I'm going to ask all the questions that you wish you could.
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And I'm going to be eating all the brownie you wish you could.
1:40
No, it's so not the joke, Vic.
1:43
OK, just come and talk and learn and laugh with us.
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Because together, we really can raise the curve.
1:51
OK, so we are doing a slight pivot here in our content.
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So for anyone who listens to our podcast regularly, we are always about finance,
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investing, money, hot tips, etc.
2:02
But today we're doing something a little bit different.
2:05
And this is a collaboration we're doing with Eve Wellness,
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which is exploring the cost of what is to be a woman.
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There's obviously a lot of extra costs involved in having female sex organs.
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We really wanted to hone in on endometriosis.
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And this is because someone who does our guest booking,
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along with quite a few of our friends, suffer from endometriosis.
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And we don't know a lot about it, neither of us suffer.
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With this, we're really lucky.
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Lucky is probably not actually the right word there.
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But one in nine women do suffer with endometriosis.
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And that's of people who've actually reported it.
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So realistically, there's probably a huge amount that suffer in silence.
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It's probably around what, like, one in six.
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And personally, I didn't even know what endometriosis was or the severity of it
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or how impacting it could be until we actually started doing this.
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And so, I mean, that's probably just my naivety.
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But I'd heard about it, but I hadn't actually done a lot of research.
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And so I found this yes, super fascinating.
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Yeah. And I mean, like, just also promising this by saying,
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we're obviously not doctors, but for anyone who doesn't understand it,
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we've obviously done a bit of research at this point.
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So it is a hormonal inflammatory condition.
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And it affects the uterus and the ovaries, which has a huge impact on people
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who have ovaries' lives, if this is something that they have.
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And symptoms include stuff like chronic pain during and between periods,
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painful sex, bowel issues, fertility issues.
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And often surgery is actually the only way to treat the condition,
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which is obviously incredibly expensive.
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I mean, that sucks.
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I think that there's no alternative.
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Also just incredibly expensive.
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So for today's episode, what we wanted to do was look at the impacts financially, emotionally, physically,
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and just unpack what?
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A lot of our friends, mothers, work colleagues,
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dealing with so that we can be better support for those who are going through this.
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And yeah, I guess just probably worth saying our heart goes to those who are
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because after having some of these conversations, we've realised just what?
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A giant inconvenience and pain literally that having this has.
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And how much it affects your life and earning capacity and everything?
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So we've actually been lucky enough to find, well, not, I guess it's not lucky that you find several women impacted by this,
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but we've found some epic woman that we're excited to talk to about,
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like so I've said, the financial, emotional, physical cost of endometriosis.
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And first off, we have Brie Tomlinson from ZM Drive Show.
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So Brie is originally from Australia.
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She is very, very hilarious.
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You may recognise her voice from the radio.
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She's a really talented presenter.
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She's so funny.
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She's hilarious.
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I could have talked to her for so long.
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I was in stitches.
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Yeah, it was really, really funny interview, definitely talking about a serious topic, which seems strange.
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But yeah, she has been struggling massively with Indo for a very, very long time
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and polycystic ovaries as well.
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So we spoke to her about what it's been like, what the toll it's taken on her and her partner, fertility,
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the joys of being in the same sex relationship,
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and I guess having the beauty of two ovaries to choose from when it comes to having children.
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But also the huge financial and emotional struggles that their face,
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which was really, really eye-opening for Sofa and I and probably for the audience as well.
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Yeah, so without further ado, bring in Brie.
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Okay, so we have Brie Tomasel on.
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I was going to say on the dial.
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On the wireless.
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She is live.
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She is wireless from New Zealand.
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So Brie's on radio.
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Brie is an Australian, but she is the ambassador for Indomitriosis New Zealand
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and we're so privileged to have you on.
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Thank you so much.
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I know when you're doing breakfast hours, you're just like absolutely zonked by this time of the day.
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So I really appreciate you not falling asleep.
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Absolutely.
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I know you're both of you girls and I know the podcast and what you're doing.
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And I'm all about strong women kicking goals.
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So I'm glad to be here.
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Woohoo.
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I love that.
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Okay, so you, which I acknowledged in your early 20s, is that right?
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Yeah, so it was quite an interesting one for me because growing up,
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I never really had all that many issues except for like really painful periods
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on like the first day to the point where I would end up in the sick bay
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on the dot every month at the same time.
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Well, a lot of what we don't talk about is that you shouldn't have painful periods
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to the point where you can't do anything.
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Like you should not be having pain that that's in that bad.
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So I never really thought anything of it.
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But in my early 20s, I started to get really bad acne, which I'd never had before.
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And I went and sort of kind of got checked out because my sister had just been diagnosed
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with polycystic ovaries, which is kind of another female issue.
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I got diagnosed with polycystic ovaries number one, which I had the same as my sister.
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And then I kind of was like, there's something still not quite right
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because I was having severe pain when I wasn't having my period.
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When you say severe, sorry, can I just ask, how severe are we talking?
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It ranges.
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And I say this to people all the time.
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Like still to this day, like living, sorry, that's my dogs.
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You want me to go shut them up?
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Yeah.
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I was waiting for Sophie to be like, who's dog is that?
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Give me an hour, Whitney.
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They should settle down.
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Yeah.
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Is your name Whitney?
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I got two.
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I got two.
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One's Whitney Houston.
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The other one's Meryl Streep.
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Oh my gosh, I love that.
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So good.
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I think when you're younger, though, and you're kind of figuring out your body,
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you probably don't have an idea of what is painful period or, you know,
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what is that level of pain that you should be like, okay, this is not normal.
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Totally.
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And this is where the conversation starts and what I try and like spread the word on is,
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you know, we need to talk about it more because there's so many women that suffer in silence
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because we're embarrassed or, you know, we don't want to talk.
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We don't want to embarrass other people by talking about it.
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But this is the reason why so many women go undiagnosed and suffer for such a long time.
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I kind of knew in myself and I knew my body that something wasn't quite right.
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And I was getting pain when I didn't have my period or just at random times.
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And it was kind of like a sharp, sharp stabbing pain around my like uterus area.
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And I was like, this isn't right.
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Like something's not working.
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There's women think sucks.
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It really does.
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And I was really young, you know, and it's quite scary as a young female.
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I was 21 and I kind of talked to my mum about it.
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And it was like I was really lucky to have her support where she was kind of like,
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let's go get this checked out further.
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And I think the scariest part for me was when I kind of did start looking into things
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and my options was the scariest part was, well, you could have endometriosis.
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But the only way to really tell is if we have full-blown surgery.
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That's the only way to be able to be diagnosed even.
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Yeah, so pretty much this specialist that I went to was like, so here's the thing.
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You could have it. You do have a lot of the symptoms.
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And the only way we can diagnose it is if we put you fully under,
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we cut through your belly button, we put a camera in there and have a look.
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And if there is endo, that's when we will do the surgery at the same time.
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But, you know, what if I didn't have it?
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I have this full experience of going under and they cut me open
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and then I might not have it, you know.
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And that was the only way to diagnose it.
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And it's quite daunting.
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And even like now, like 12, 13 years later,
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there's still not that much that is progressed in that technology.
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What is it possible?
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Yeah, I can't believe that in 2023, when half of violations as women.
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It's like...
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It's one of 10 females, doesn't it?
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Yeah, it's one in nine now.
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That's crazy.
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That's probably actually probably one in six because of the number that suffer in silence
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and actually aren't diagnosed or...
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I agree with you, Vic, totally.
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Gosh, yeah.
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It's quite crazy.
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And I guess, like, in terms of the ongoing mental toll that that has
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or, and physical, is it like something we're in the lead up to your period,
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you're dreading it?
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You know, like, how does it affect you on a daily, weekly, monthly basis?
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Yeah, it's an interesting one.
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Because, I mean, my journey has kind of been, when I was 21,
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I went to that specialist and I kind of chose to move forward
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with having that surgery to see if I did have it.
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And I had that surgery and they found that I did have quite severe endo on my
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all of my left side and not on my right side.
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So they kind of cleaned that all up.
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And then it was...
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It's about a week and a half to two week recovery period where you can't really do anything
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because they cut through all the muscles of your stomach.
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So I guess it's like a mini-c section almost.
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And so from there, I felt really good because they kind of take away all the problem.
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And then over time, it kind of comes back.
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And ever since then, I've been on this special particular birth control pill
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which gives me the right hormones that I need, but also as a result of having endo,
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pretty much the advice from the specialist was like,
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you need to avoid having your period as much as you can.
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Because essentially, what happens with endo is that when we have our period
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we shed the inner lining of our uterus, that's what happens.
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And every time you do that, then it wants to grow back
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because that is a normal cycle for a female.
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So people with endo, every time it grows back,
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it wants to grow back in places where it's not meant to be.
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And that's where the problem comes in.
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So essentially, since I was 21, I've tried to...
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I literally just take the pill constantly.
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My body is a female body.
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So there'd be times where even if I was taking the pill, I'd get my period.
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Like it just happens.
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So over time, it grew back and I had to go in for a second surgery.
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Since that surgery, it has kind of come back.
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And I just live day to day.
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I always say to people like, if someone asks me, it's kind of like each day I have pain.
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It's just whether...
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It's just how bad that pain is.
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Some days it can be a 10 and some days it can be a 1.
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That is so full-on.
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I mean, I'm not someone.
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I usually just work through it and I've kind of gotten used to living with pain.
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But I got to the point where I was like, I want to go see someone else and see my options.
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And he kind of didn't assessment.
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And I was really lucky.
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It was this guy who's kind of more further along in the technology.
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And he kind of gave me an internal exam.
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And he was like, look, you have what I call superficial endo.
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There's multiple types.
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But there's endo that can make you infertile where it's in certain places.
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And if it goes undiagnosed, women will eventually find out that they are infertile
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because it's been there for so long.
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And then you've got superficial endo, which can...
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I mean, it can grow around your liver.
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It can grow around just everywhere.
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And he's kind of like, look, at the moment, it's quite superficial.
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And I know you have a lot of pain.
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But you're at that point and at that age in your life,
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where I don't want to give you another surgery because it's more scar tissue,
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which if you do want to get pregnant, if there is maybe a possibility of that,
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I feel like I'm doing more damage than good.
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So it's quite a full-on conversation to have.
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And I think it's a lot to kind of think about where you're like,
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do I want to have kids or do I want to live my life pain-free?
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And it's kind of like you have to make these decisions all at once.
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It's pretty full-on.
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How many operations have you had?
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Yeah, so I've had two.
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Personally, I've had two, but I know other women who have been on a journey
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where they've had multiple, multiple.
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And it's really interesting, some friends of mine who I know have struggled
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and to be honest, like I consider myself really lucky
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because I have friends that are really close to me that have debilitating endo
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that pretty much they're disabled.
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Like they can't do much, you know?
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And they're really the ones that I just can't even imagine
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so I consider myself lucky.
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Like I really do.
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And because you have lived in Australia and now you're in New Zealand
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and you've obviously dealt with intermediaries across both countries.
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And I'm keen to kind of hear the different services that are provided,
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the different cover.
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Like do you have part of health insurance?
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Is that cover it?
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Like from a financial aspect?
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And like how much do you think this has cost you all up?
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I remember, so when I was 21, I was lucky enough,
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I was still on my parents' private health cover.
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So I was really lucky.
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I wish I still was on my parents' health cover.
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Oh my gosh.
15:17
Oh, I wish I could go back.
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So I could be back to you as me?
15:20
What?
15:21
What was that?
15:22
We're going to come back and give you a send you a bill.
15:24
Yeah.
15:25
How old are you?
15:26
Yeah, so I was really lucky for that first surgery.
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So I was on that private health cover with my parents.
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But I can't remember exactly.
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But one thing I can comment on is the certain particular birth control pill
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that I got put on when I got diagnosed with polycystic ovaries in Endo
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was it was called the Diane.
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It's specifically made for people with polycystic and endo
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and it costs four, five times as much as most other pills.
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It's $70 for three months.
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But obviously, three months worth of that pill didn't last me three months
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because I was skipping all of the sugar pills.
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So being a student, I just remember it being a real struggle
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where I was like, I really need this medication.
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I've been advised to have it, but it was quite expensive.
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And one thing I really noticed when I moved to New Zealand
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is that I pay zero.
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Like I pay nothing for that pill.
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And that was quite a shock to me.
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I was like, pardon me.
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What do you mean I pay nothing?
16:30
Maybe $100 for free?
16:32
Yeah, yeah.
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Please take my money.
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Yeah, please, please.
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But I will comment that when I went to the specialist in New Zealand
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it was an hour consult and that cost me $700 for that one consult.
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What about government contributions?
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What is the government doing here comparatively to an Australia?
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Because I'm just thinking even stuff,
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if you were taking two weeks off after an operation
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and you need to save up your annual leave,
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that's a financial cost.
17:03
Yeah.
17:04
That's such an interesting point, Sophie.
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I remember a few years ago, maybe three years ago,
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a friend of mine who was producing at the radio station
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as me had to get the surgery.
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And I kind of was talking to her about it.
17:19
And I remember, I'm pretty sure she had to take her annual leave
17:22
or sick leave.
17:24
Like I think sick leave came into it.
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Something that has happened at the company that I work at recently
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is that they've bought in a period leave.
17:34
If that makes sense.
17:36
Yeah.
17:37
I don't know if anyone uses it or if they feel comfortable enough to use it.
17:41
But I'm pretty sure it exists.
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Because I remember reading an email about it.
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And I was like, oh, that's interesting.
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I might remember that on a day where I'm really having it.
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Having a nightmare.
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I think you were just talking about periods around men.
17:54
Like I remember being back in my radio days.
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And I would wander around.
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There was like not that many female producers.
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And I'd wander around and be like,
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have you got a damn on?
18:05
Have you got a damn on?
18:06
Yeah.
18:07
And it's like, I'm sorry.
18:10
Is there half the population not aware that we bleed out of a vagina
18:13
once a month?
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Like, why?
18:15
It's so weird.
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It's a human process.
18:19
This should not be so strange.
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But even for women, it's weird.
18:23
We judge ourselves, this is this gross weird thing.
18:26
It's so, it's just.
18:28
I totally agree with you.
18:30
The tampon whisper around the office.
18:33
I've definitely done that.
18:35
I've definitely done the tampon whisper.
18:37
We've all done that.
18:38
We all do.
18:39
Yeah.
18:40
It's so weird.
18:41
I wonder if, Break, can you do something?
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Would you do something funny?
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Like, what if we were to film a video of like all of us quite publicly
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and quite loudly asking for tampons?
18:49
Like, it could be kind of funny.
18:51
I love it.
18:52
I'm so old.
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Like, I reckon I'll go into a bubble or something and be like,
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has anyone got a tampon?
18:57
Yeah.
18:58
Like, zoom in at all the male faces.
19:01
I know.
19:02
I like it.
19:03
I think we could, I think we could go viral.
19:05
It's so good.
19:06
Gosh.
19:07
Yeah.
19:08
Love it.
19:09
There's also an opportunity cost in terms of like women who, you know, you might, you
19:14
might have to take leave or you might not apply for a job because you're like, oh my gosh.
19:18
You know, this is going to be so debilitating.
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And there's such a huge opportunity cost from that as well as a financial cost.
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You know, that can then affect our career progression and all that and our earning capacity
19:30
and it's, or even if you're heading, even if you're heading into a big, I don't know,
19:34
a meeting or presentation or a show or something.
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And then you are absolutely debilitatingly in pain.
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Like, that's just got to be such a hindrance on your, your output and your work.
19:46
And yeah, there's so many facets to this that just like frustrate me so much.
19:52
You're so spot on.
19:53
It's ridiculous.
19:54
And there's a few, like, there's a few kind of things that come to mind.
19:59
I filmed a TV show here in New Zealand called Celebrity Treasure Island and I host the show.
20:06
And it's, it's very demanding in terms of, it's physically demanding and mentally demanding.
20:12
And I remember there was maybe on season two, I had quite a bad episode of Endo where it lasted probably six or seven days.
20:21
And like, there's no, hey guys, I'm in quite a lot of pain like I can't do today.
20:27
Like, you just have to grit your teeth and do the best that you can.
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And I, and I just remember being really proud of myself that I did do it,
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but also being disappointed that it wasn't my best because I was hindered with, you know, this horrible pain
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and I couldn't fully focus on my job.
20:46
Is there anything that could be done from an employer standpoint that would help that?
20:51
Whether it be financial or support or I'm just curious if you've actually thought like in that situation.
20:59
What, what, what do you need?
21:01
I think even just being able to have the open conversation and not feel like awkward about it.
21:09
And even if just people know, knowing that people know and they understand and being like,
21:15
okay, like maybe she's not exactly 100% on because of that.
21:20
You know, that could, that could kind of come into it and help.
21:24
And other women, I guess, will probably be with me on this,
21:29
that it's just really difficult to navigate sometimes.
21:32
But I think just being able to have that open conversation and feel heard,
21:36
maybe not understood, but feel heard and kind of like have some sympathy.
21:41
Like, is, is kind of what you need in that situation.
21:44
Well, I've worked on Survivor, like the US TV show.
21:49
And we have Jeff Probe, Probe, Probe, something along those lines.
21:53
Gosh, someone's going to kill me if they're a survivor.
21:55
And thank you.
21:56
I think it's Probe's anyway.
21:58
He was the host and you know, if he had intimateriosis and we all knew as the crow,
22:03
you would work around it.
22:05
So it's like, okay, let's go give Jeff a break because he might, like,
22:08
we actually can give him 15 minutes just to go lay down while we rest do the set.
22:13
There would just be a bit more awareness as well around trying to make his experience more comfortable.
22:20
Totally agree with you.
22:21
And that would be amazing.
22:23
Can we broach the conversation of fertility for a second?
22:26
I know you mentioned earlier.
22:28
Have you talked to your girlfriend about the idea of would she feel comfortable carrying
22:33
if it meant that you could have the operation?
22:36
Because I imagine many people who are in cis heterosexual relationships
22:41
don't have that option.
22:43
I mean, what kind of support, firstly, like has that been a conversation or something you've thought of?
22:47
And secondly, for those who don't have that option, where there's one female body within a relationship,
22:53
what would it look like or what kind of support could the government give financially or
22:58
from a fertility perspective?
23:00
Because for me, I feel like if I was going through this, I just would want to get it taken out.
23:04
But at the same time, I also want to have kids.
23:06
So yeah, I'm just curious as to your thoughts on that.
23:10
No, it's definitely been a conversation within our relationship.
23:14
We're lucky.
23:15
We've got two wounds.
23:16
You've got two.
23:17
We're taking a pig.
23:19
Which wound do you want?
23:21
Mine's a bit, mine's a bit shit.
23:25
So maybe go to the other wound.
23:28
Mine's like a one bedroom apartment.
23:31
And hers is kind of like, you know, a mansion in Remiweera.
23:36
Yeah.
23:37
No, we've definitely had the conversation.
23:41
And to be fully transparent, we haven't fully started that journey yet.
23:46
We're on the cusp.
23:47
Like we've started making appointments to have those discussions at a fertility clinic and with a doctor.
23:54
And because at the moment, I actually have no idea really what my situation is.
24:00
If I could potentially even have children.
24:03
If that's an option, you know, could I even carry a child?
24:06
I actually have no idea.
24:08
I'm really quite in the dark at the moment.
24:11
And we're just about to start that journey.
24:14
But I mean, that's also another whole conversation altogether where even just looking at the prices in New Zealand
24:21
and even the wait time like that you have to wait.
24:24
I have got no idea.
24:26
I mean, like I said, we're just at the start, so I'm not going to fully comment.
24:30
I do know that if you need donor sperm, it's a two year wait list from when you start.
24:36
Yeah.
24:37
Yeah.
24:38
I went and got my eggs frozen and I were like, do you want to join the wait list for the sperm donor?
24:43
Because, you know, we have a lot of women that freeze their eggs and they come back and like, look,
24:46
I haven't found someone and I'd like to go, you know, I'd like to use a sperm donor.
24:50
And it's a two year wait list.
24:51
So there's like, so join now and you can get like a two for one.
24:54
I was like, oh my gosh.
24:55
I was like, no, no.
24:56
I was like, I'm fine.
24:57
Thank you.
24:58
No, I'm all good.
24:59
Yeah.
25:00
I'm all good.
25:01
Because what made you Vic?
25:02
What made you Vic want to freeze your eggs?
25:04
Because how old are you?
25:05
I'm 34.
25:06
So same age as you.
25:07
Yes.
25:08
Yes, same age as me.
25:09
That's right.
25:10
Yeah.
25:11
You look like younger than I was asking.
25:13
Thank you.
25:14
It was just more.
25:17
I had ended a long term relationship in my 30s and I was like, you know what?
25:23
I did it during COVID, so we were all locked down anyway.
25:25
I thought, you know, good time to freeze my eggs.
25:28
She went through it together.
25:29
We did.
25:30
Yes.
25:31
Oh my God.
25:32
Amazing.
25:33
Like true partners.
25:34
Yes.
25:35
Yes.
25:36
And yeah, I was just single in my 30s and I thought, you know what?
25:39
I could meet someone tomorrow.
25:40
I could meet someone in 10 years.
25:41
It was more of an insurance thing for me.
25:44
Yeah.
25:45
And, you know, I've got some leave.
25:47
But it was like $10,000.
25:48
Yeah.
25:49
It was $10,000, which is very expensive.
25:51
Yeah.
25:52
And I've got friends that would love to do it and kind of forward it.
25:55
And that I just frustrated.
25:56
Wow.
25:57
That's me.
25:58
I'd love to do it.
25:59
Yeah.
26:00
Like the fact that if you can afford it, then you can have choice.
26:03
It's just beyond me.
26:04
Well, that's kind of why I don't agree with you, Brad.
26:08
That's why I was wondering in terms of what the cost would look like.
26:12
Or if, yeah, if you had any ideas to what, because what I'm imagining is,
26:16
if you had endometriosis and you wanted to, because I think the amount of women that do
26:22
get the ex-frozen if they have endometriosis, if they have the means to do so is quite high
26:26
because of those extra issues that you're dealing with in the warm department.
26:33
Maybe there should be some kind of subsidy for people who have to get it for a medical reason,
26:38
you know?
26:39
I'm totally agree with you.
26:40
You're not just a 23-year-old that's deciding to three years, phrase your ex,
26:43
because you've broken up with your boyfriend.
26:45
It's actually a medical.
26:47
There's no fertility equality.
26:49
And I wonder if there is some kind of, yeah, maybe we need to knock on some doors.
26:54
Yeah.
26:55
And in my personal experience, there's nothing that, from what I've heard, I could be wrong.
27:01
But no, as far as I know, there is no subsidy.
27:05
But, you know, what?
27:06
You make such a good point because it is so expensive and it's not a case of,
27:12
I want to get my ex-frozen, it's a case of, yeah.
27:15
I need it, you know?
27:16
Yeah.
27:17
Yeah.
27:18
Can we do a bit of a telly up if we, I know that this is going to be a rough bullpark.
27:22
We probably could have given you some prep before the interview.
27:25
How much do you think you've spent on specialists, operations?
27:30
If we were to remove private health care, like what has this experience cost as a total sum?
27:35
We'll give you some time.
27:36
You know, if you need to get a calculator.
27:38
I want to say bullpark, like with two surgeries, and then the birth control pill that I've had to have,
27:45
and then...
27:46
Dr's appointments.
27:47
Dr's appointments.
27:48
I want to say being the bullpark of 25 upwards, I'd say.
27:56
Like, yeah, it's not a cheap experience, that's so sure.
28:00
No, and I really appreciate you guys even just having me on and asking me questions
28:05
and being interested, and I love that you want to make a change and make a difference.
28:11
And I appreciate you guys sharing your stories as well.
28:14
Like, this is what it's about.
28:15
Like, this is what I feel like we need to use our platform for.
28:19
So I'm really grateful to be here.
28:22
Oh, well, we'd loved having you.
28:24
Yeah.
28:25
Maybe you'd like another chat that's like, you know, a bit more lighthearted.
28:29
I feel like we've really hit you with the hard questions.
28:33
Hey, get me back on and I'll talk about my struggle with anxiety, and we'll really have a party.
28:40
Sounds good.
28:41
Oh, sorry.
28:42
We're relatable.
28:43
Oh, do you ever do need someone to come to your anxiety party?
28:46
You just let me know, because I'll leave the bells on.
28:48
We can call this, like, the Curve Counselor's Houston or the Curve Confucian's or, you know, just start an off-chain.
28:54
Yeah.
28:55
Yeah, I love that.
28:56
Yeah, I'm keen, because that shit's expensive.
28:59
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
29:00
Yeah, let's do it.
29:02
God, I loved her.
29:03
She's so great.
29:04
I reckon we might have to get her back on the podcast, right?
29:06
Yeah.
29:07
And just do a normal chat about money and finances.
29:09
I was kind of fangirling.
29:10
I was like, oh my gosh, have voice sounds so familiar.
29:13
I've definitely heard her on the radio, and I was like, oh, I'm so weird.
29:18
Yeah, I felt like I was on the radio.
29:20
I fangirled over the next interview that we had with Erin Barnett.
29:23
So when I was living in Australia, she, when you were there to Vic, she was on Love Island.
29:28
And she was really cool.
29:30
She was definitely one of my favourites, but she's basically an Australian media personality
29:35
who has been on quite a few different shows.
29:38
She was on Beauty and the Geek, she's on Liberty.
29:40
I'm a celebrity, get me out of here, Love Island, etc.
29:43
But it turns out the main reason that she's been on reality TV is to fund her endometriosis struggles,
29:49
which is so sad, but she was such a breath of fresh air.
29:53
Yeah, she effectively uses reality TV to pay for the massive medical bills that she has
29:59
with everything to do with her endometriosis.
30:02
She's had 17 operations, which I just can't even comprehend that emotional toll,
30:12
that physical toll, and the financial toll of all that.
30:15
So she's also recently undergone a hysterectomy at the age of 28.
30:19
So yeah, she was really open and honest with us, and we're really, really excited to share this interview with you too.
30:27
Oh God, I'm a bit star-struck, Vic.
30:30
We've got one of my favourite Love Island conditions on the show on the phone.
30:36
No, but do you want to be on Love Island? That's so interesting.
30:40
No idea.
30:41
So Erin, Alicia Barnett is from, I'm a celebrity, get me out of here.
30:45
I watch her on Love Island, Beauty and the Geek, am I right?
30:50
Oh my God, I really must go back to the archives and watch that.
30:54
She's also an author, Endo Unfiltered, which is a real life guide to endometriosis, PCOS,
31:01
from someone who's obviously living at.
31:03
She is 27 years old, and she is the endometriosis Australia ambassador,
31:08
and we are so grateful to have you here.
31:10
So thank you so much for being here, Erin.
31:12
Thank you.
31:13
Thank you. I'm 28.
31:14
Sorry.
31:15
I know.
31:16
Oh, happy birthday.
31:17
And do you know so many news articles are getting it wrong, and I'm 28.
31:23
So all the news articles that are talking about me, they're like Erin 27,
31:26
and I'm like, just milk and sugar.
31:29
I like being 27, though.
31:31
I think 28 was my favourite year, to be honest.
31:34
28 was like, when I went traveling, I had like no kids in the world.
31:38
It was a good year.
31:39
You guys look about 25.
31:40
Oh, we were all the same age.
31:42
Oh, thank you.
31:44
Sure.
31:45
You can come back on the show as much as you want.
31:49
So, Erin, you have had like quite a journey,
31:53
not just on the screens of television.
31:55
Behind the scenes, and I'm so awesome that you're talking about it,
31:59
so publicly, now and really are an advocate for change
32:03
and for women who are struggling with PCOS and with endometriosis.
32:07
I would love to hear, I mean, you've recently had a pretty enormous surgery,
32:13
but can we start from the beginning?
32:15
When were you diagnosed, and what has that life been like for you?
32:19
Well, I was diagnosed with PCOS when I was 14 years old.
32:24
It was my first surgery, and I wasn't diagnosed with endometriosis
32:29
till I was roughly around 19.
32:31
And now that I've had a hysterectomy, I was just diagnosed with abnormiosis.
32:36
So that's pretty much just endometriosis in the wall of my uterus.
32:42
And now that that's been taken out, they told me I had that,
32:45
and it just made so much more sense why I was in so much pain.
32:48
My first surgery was a three-kilo cyst.
32:51
I had about almost three liters of fluid in it.
32:54
I looked about six months pregnant, and I hadn't had sex.
32:57
So that was really awkward to be in the doctor's clinic with my mom trying to convince her,
33:01
I hadn't had sex, but I looked pregnant.
33:04
Oh, my God. Wow.
33:06
So you had like an actual belly. You looked like you had a baby.
33:10
Yeah. You know, really fit women that are into fitness.
33:15
And when they start to get, when they're pregnant, their belly starts to show
33:18
it's like this hard little bulge, that's what mine looked like.
33:23
And I swear I wasn't pregnant because I was like,
33:26
maybe I'm the next virgin Mary.
33:28
I heard about it in a Bible, so maybe it's happened.
33:32
And then they said that she's got a really big cyst.
33:35
So I got cut from hip to hip.
33:37
So like a caesarian scar.
33:39
And so I'm sorry, we're just going to have to pause because you just said you had a hysterectomy.
33:43
That's enormous.
33:45
How recently did that happen?
33:47
And when did you decide and what was the kind of like final nail in the coffin
33:51
where you're like, I'm actually just done with this.
33:53
I just need to get it all out.
33:55
Well, I had a hysterectomy on the 27th of June.
33:59
So about two weeks ago.
34:01
And the pain I was experiencing was like, it's so hard to describe
34:05
because I can say it's like knives, it's burning, but it's worse than all that.
34:10
It's worse than anything you can imagine.
34:13
And when I found out just the other day, when the biopsy came back about my uterus
34:17
that I did have admirosis, it made me so angry that no one was going to give me a hysterectomy
34:24
when I was younger.
34:25
I had asked for one when I was about 23.
34:28
And they said, no, it might change my mind.
34:31
So you basically had four years of pain that you could have avoided?
34:34
Yes.
34:35
And like beforehand, like around 22 and younger, yeah, I was in pain, but not that much.
34:40
And it wasn't that bad.
34:42
It's just after I turned, like after I came off of Ireland, I don't know if it was like stress-related or something.
34:48
But if just I had this really bad cyst.
34:50
And then from there, it was just really bad gynecologist that were doing things wrong
34:55
and making my insides worse.
34:58
So it was just awful.
34:59
And then when I got told you had admirosis and it was everywhere in your uterus, I was like,
35:05
I wish I had done this when I was 23.
35:08
That's just so messed up that there's no alternative.
35:13
It's so hard to think that there's nothing really anyone can do to help you.
35:18
There's some medication out there that can maybe help you manage your symptoms,
35:22
but nothing will cure you.
35:24
This direct to me is not a cure for endometriosis.
35:27
It is a cure for admirosis and PCOS.
35:30
If you do remove your ovaries, I've only got one ovary left.
35:33
I wanted that out, but they said they will not take that out until I'm about 35 years old.
35:38
We were going back and forth because I have PCOS and my main problem is my PCOS.
35:44
And it's just frustrating knowing that I'm still probably going to get cysts in the future,
35:48
but at least my pain will be minimal compared to what it was before the hysterectomy.
35:53
Why are they not taking it out?
35:54
Sorry.
35:55
They're not taking it out due to my hormones.
35:57
So at my age, if you were to go through menopause, there's a lot of risks that come with that.
36:02
Your life expectancy drops a lot.
36:05
You can get your prone to heart disease, heart attacks, strokes, your bone density,
36:10
and all that drops.
36:12
You go become more frail, so you might be 30-year-old, but your body is like an 82-year-old.
36:18
You didn't surely, you didn't want to get it out if you knew that, right?
36:21
No, I still wanted out.
36:23
I would rather live a good life from my 20s to my 60s and then die at 60.
36:29
If it just meant I was happy and pain-free, and I know that sounds crazy,
36:33
but I don't want to live my entire life.
36:36
And on my deathbed, I'm like, I wasn't that fun being so ill my entire life.
36:40
But then also, I look at it like it's not cancer or anything.
36:44
So I'm also grateful that it's not something that's terminal and really, really bad.
36:49
But then I look at it like, oh, my life's so boring when you're in pain all the time.
36:53
But my partner and my family will like, do not get your ovary and no Dr. Will.
36:58
Oh my gosh.
37:00
Am I right in thinking I read that you've been had 17 surgeries in 13 years?
37:04
Is that right?
37:05
Yes, that's correct.
37:07
That's wild.
37:08
How have you done that financially?
37:10
We went through the public health system when I was younger,
37:13
so it's all through Medicare here in Melbourne that the government pays for it.
37:18
So when you do that, you actually have to wait.
37:20
So the reason why my cysts and all that probably got so large and it was really bad was because you see it as surgeon
37:25
and then you don't get to go to have surgery for like 18 months.
37:28
So that was all free.
37:30
But there was about a couple of surgeries my mum paid out full and that was like a lot of money.
37:36
But since I think I turned 18, I got my own private health insurance.
37:40
I paid around $35,000 in medical costs.
37:45
And that's not all that's like not even with private health insurance coverage.
37:49
Like that's just my own money.
37:51
It's all about specialists, medications, driving to appointments, seeing different gynecologists.
37:56
And then you go to these specialist appointments and all they tell you is they can't help you,
38:00
but they still take like 750 bucks.
38:03
Oh my gosh.
38:05
So if you hadn't had the surgeries covered by health insurance,
38:09
what do you think that total would be that you've spent on your reproductive organs?
38:14
It would have been over nearly $100,000.
38:18
But every surgery can be up to like $8,000 to $9,000.
38:23
That's just with the gynecologist, the anaesthetic fees, pathology.
38:26
And if you have to stay overnight in that at the hospital, those costs as well.
38:30
But you wouldn't do that.
38:32
You would go through the public health system, but that's like a two-year weight.
38:36
And because it's so expensive, majority of women don't bother getting diagnosed
38:40
because it takes too long.
38:42
And by the time they are diagnosed, they don't have enough money to go see all these specialists.
38:46
That is crazy. That is so much money.
38:49
Yeah, I know some women that take out loans so that they could see a private doctor
38:54
because they couldn't afford the cost of having private health insurance
38:57
and they're still paying back those loans and they're still gotten nowhere.
39:00
Like they still don't know what's wrong with them.
39:02
It's so expensive.
39:04
And if it wasn't for me going on those shows,
39:08
I probably wouldn't have been able to afford it because I wouldn't have been able to keep a full-time job
39:13
or a part-time job or a casual job.
39:15
I was just lucky enough that I went on these shows.
39:17
And it was pretty much like, been to be.
39:19
I was meant to go on reality TV just to fund my medical costs.
39:22
Do you think that private health insurance has covered like 40% of your overall cost?
39:27
Yes, they might fast track you through the health system, but from a financial standpoint,
39:32
how much do you think they've kind of covered of the overall cost in terms of your journey?
39:36
They still cover a lot of it, but like say for instance, my surgery for my hysterectomy,
39:42
my anaesthetic fees were $1,700 and I had to pay that up front and then I got $540 back
39:52
from my private health insurance.
39:54
And then pathology was $478 and I don't get anything back for that.
39:59
And then my state, the hospital was free because it was through my insurance.
40:03
And then my gap fee with my surgeon was $550.
40:08
So that's money that's you're out of pocket.
40:10
And if you're not working because you can't work because you're in too much pain
40:14
and you've been fired or you've quit, where are you getting that money?
40:17
Even if you're on government funding like Santa Linker or anything, you can't afford it.
40:23
I never thought of that side of it.
40:25
It's like if you're out of work because of pain, you don't have that income
40:29
to then fund that extra gap that you have to pay.
40:34
Oh my gosh, I can't even imagine the mental toll and the financial toll like it's crazy.
40:41
What has it had you either been on a show or presenting when something has fled up?
40:45
Yeah, so when I was on, I'm a celebrity, get me out of here.
40:48
I actually started getting only a month before the show.
40:52
I just had my left over removed.
40:54
I thought that I might be in a little bit of pain, but not too much.
40:58
Anyway, I got there about two weeks in.
41:00
I started having a really bad flare up.
41:02
So we were coming back from a challenge and I was walking and I was with Ryan and Myth
41:09
and one of the producers and I was like, fuck, I'm in so much pain.
41:13
And I kind of stopped and I felt something come out of me and it was a massive clot
41:17
and it dripped down my leg so I grabbed it.
41:20
It was like jelly and I threw it into the bushes and I remember being like, oh my God,
41:24
and all this blood just came down my legs into my socks down my legs.
41:27
You could see everything.
41:28
I wasn't embarrassed or anything.
41:30
I was just like, fucking annoyed because I knew when I got back to Australia,
41:33
I'm going to have to get surgery again.
41:35
And so then we walked back to camp.
41:38
I got given some painkillers, just panted all neurofim.
41:41
And then they gave me the hot water bottle.
41:43
I had to get changed and they actually washed my clothes for me
41:46
because there was blood stains everywhere.
41:48
I can't get that out in the sink.
41:50
And then from there on, it was just downhill.
41:52
Like I was tired.
41:53
I was sleeping majority of the TV show.
41:55
Like that's all I was doing.
41:57
I was lethargic.
41:58
I was just in too much pain.
42:00
And if I was at home, I would have taken some stronger painkillers and just relaxed.
42:03
But obviously you can't do that.
42:05
Wow.
42:06
And like just the fact that you're like, oh yeah, just this giant blood clot.
42:10
Here it goes.
42:11
I remember when the producer was like, oh my God, his name was Darren.
42:16
And he worked with me on Love Island, so that was nice.
42:18
But he was like, oh my God, what do we do?
42:20
And I was like, oh nothing, I just grabbed it.
42:22
And I remember grabbing, taking my shoe off, I grabbed my sock.
42:25
And I put my sock in my under like where my vagina is as like a pad.
42:29
And then put my shoe back on and then we just kept walking to camp
42:32
because I was like, I'll just deal with it when I get there.
42:35
And then I was, I've got there and I had a shower, a freezing cold shower.
42:39
And I put a pad on and I put my new pants on and stuff.
42:42
But it was just like, you felt so dirty because I'm in the fucking jungle.
42:47
And I'm bleeding today.
42:48
Has there ever been a time like you definitely come across to me
42:52
as someone who has gone through the grieving process years ago.
42:57
Like you're not sitting there feeling sorry for yourself.
43:01
When it comes to, I don't know, like fertility having kids.
43:04
Like what, what, what was that like for you?
43:07
I know so many people say that to me.
43:09
And it makes me think that maybe I should see a psychologist because I'm like,
43:14
everyone says that I'm just like, so okay with this.
43:17
But I think it's when I was younger, I always said I wanted twin girls.
43:21
I always wanted girls.
43:23
And I always thought about being a mother.
43:25
And then I had my first surgery and I was like, this is shit.
43:28
And then I had the next one and the next one.
43:31
And I was like, oh my god, this is so frustrating.
43:34
And then every time I bled it was like, this is so annoying.
43:37
And so then I stopped thinking about my reproductive organs
43:41
as something that could form life.
43:43
And I started looking at it like something that's causing me trauma and pain.
43:48
And so I just think it was the time frame of when it started.
43:51
So I didn't start to get that maternal instinct
43:54
because I was getting the complete opposite of like the pain.
43:58
I was associating it with pain.
44:00
And then when I was about 19, they told me that I should start to freeze my eggs.
44:05
And I was like, dude, I'm going to a party tonight.
44:08
I'm not going to go freeze my eggs.
44:10
And I thought nothing of it.
44:12
And then as I got older, I'm like, I probably should have.
44:16
Because I remember a gynecologist telling me the older I get, the better it'll be.
44:21
The older I've gotten, the worse my issues have gotten.
44:25
But I tried to do the IVF just to freeze my eggs
44:29
just so I could get a hysterectomy because that was maybe going to be one of the conditions.
44:33
But when I called up Monash IVF here in Melbourne, they said that
44:38
I have to get like 19 follicles.
44:41
And that's in one round. That's like $10,000.
44:44
And if you don't get that many, you have to do another round.
44:47
And also I was at a high risk of developing really bad cysts
44:51
because of how quickly I grow cysts and how I'm a very rare case.
44:54
So they said that I might have to be in hospital to be monitored.
44:58
And I was like, no, this is not what I want.
45:01
And then also I started thinking, now imagine if I force myself somehow to have a miracle baby
45:07
because everyone's telling me to, and it's a girl,
45:10
and then I have to watch her go through what I've gone through knowing that she was going to have these problems.
45:16
I couldn't, I don't know how my mom watches me go through this.
45:20
I couldn't watch someone suffer like this and knowing that I did that to them.
45:24
So I think I just thought, I'm not going to force something
45:28
that's not meant to be in this lifetime. Who knows?
45:30
Maybe in my next lifetime I'll have like 600 kids or maybe I had 600 kids in my previous life.
45:35
And that's why I don't want to have kids this time.
45:37
Yeah, holy shit.
45:39
Like to be to be 19 and to have it to think about freezing your eggs.
45:43
I mean, I didn't even know, I mean, was that even a thing when you were 19?
45:46
I feel like, oh, yes, you're younger than us.
45:49
But like even the intense financial cost that you've had dealing with them,
45:54
I've had a lot of great experiences and then being like, oh, but if you want to have children,
45:58
you're going to have to pay even more to freeze your eggs.
46:01
It's just like, oh my gosh, when is this going to stop?
46:05
I can't even imagine.
46:07
I know.
46:08
And do you know what?
46:10
My private health insurance, this is what frustrated me the most.
46:12
So I looked it up and they said that they covered IVF.
46:15
I was like, that's fantastic.
46:17
They cover majority of my costs.
46:18
Like, I'll go ahead and I'll do it.
46:19
And when I called up to double check, they said, no, we only cover IVF for pregnancy.
46:23
But the whole thing, the whole like egg retrieval and then like, you know,
46:27
they put the egg and sperm together.
46:29
And I'm like, oh, no, no, I just want to collect the eggs and just freeze them.
46:32
And they said, no, we don't cover for that.
46:34
And I'm like, that's bullshit.
46:35
You're literally doing half the job.
46:36
Do you know what I mean?
46:37
That was annoying to me.
46:38
Like, that's part of my private health insurance, but I can never use that now.
46:41
Yes.
46:42
I wonder if there's another health insurance company that does allow you to do that.
46:46
I guess it's like, read the fine print.
46:48
Always read the fine print because it's like,
46:51
there was a lot of them sometimes.
46:53
Yeah.
46:54
Try to weasel their way out.
46:55
So I'm just curious now that you've had the heuristic.
46:58
Oh my god.
46:59
Now that you've had the heuristic hysterectomy, wow.
47:01
It's really hard.
47:02
You've got it one more time.
47:03
Try again.
47:04
Yes.
47:05
Are there any additional financial costs now to you?
47:10
Or do you have more financial freedom now that you don't have, you know, the surgeries,
47:15
you know, the all the additional costs.
47:16
Like, I'm just curious to know what position you're in now.
47:19
I think I might be better off because I won't have to buy so many tampons and pads and new clothes
47:25
because I've bled through them.
47:27
So that'll be good, but it's still really expensive.
47:30
So I actually have to go see a psychologist like a couple of times during the year
47:35
because my gynecologist said it's what I have to do because it's a bat.
47:40
It's a crazy decision that I made and I was like, okay.
47:42
And then I have to see a pain specialist and a pelvic floor specialist.
47:47
Now I'll give you an insight on how much that is.
47:49
I have an appointment on the 10th of August.
47:51
It's $470 and I get $178 back from Medicare.
47:58
And then I think I'll probably get about a hundred bucks again from my health insurance.
48:03
But I pay that up front and then you go, you wait a couple of weeks to get the money back.
48:07
Then the initial appointments after your first one is $270.
48:11
Wow.
48:12
So it's never ending.
48:14
What do you get paid being in reality television?
48:17
Like what kind of, I mean, I know it's lump fees because obviously you're doing contract work.
48:22
But is it well paid?
48:24
It's not really enough.
48:26
When I was on Beauty and the Geek, I think I only got paid like $300 a week or something.
48:31
It was like nothing, but I didn't give a shit because I was like TV.
48:34
It was like the bent because we also went to Fiji.
48:37
So they paid for everything.
48:39
But then when I went on Love Island, I think it was like $1,050 a week.
48:45
And then when I was on, I'm a celebrity.
48:48
It was a lump sum.
48:49
So I think it was like, I was only given like $30,000.
48:52
And I know that's a lot of money, but like that went straight to all my medical fees.
48:57
So I literally went on that show just to cover my $35,000 in medical costs.
49:02
It's all about the endorsements that you get afterwards and becoming an influencer and stuff.
49:07
It's like, I'm really bad at this shit.
49:10
So I went back to my nursing.
49:12
So I studied my RN and I didn't finish my placement.
49:15
So I've just finished all my placements so that I can be a cosmetic nurse.
49:19
I've tried to be the influencer, but it's just hard because I don't know.
49:23
I just struggled to do it.
49:25
What did you struggle with?
49:26
Like what was the hardest part?
49:28
Having to take your phone and record everything and tag everyone.
49:32
And then not really being in the moment when you're at restaurants and stuff.
49:35
Because you, oh, stop, I've got a video record this.
49:37
Can you get a photo with me?
49:38
Or can you take a photo here?
49:39
Like, just it's annoying.
49:42
And I see people do it.
49:44
And I think, but it's worth it because you can get paid a lot of money.
49:46
And I tried to because there's some, but then some brands that I absolutely adore
49:50
and talk about all the time.
49:51
It's like they don't want to work with you because you don't upload photos like half-longer A or in bikinis.
49:58
It's just it was hard.
49:59
Like I could probably do it if I wanted to.
50:01
I've still got a big following.
50:03
But now it's more like use like Instagram could be taken down any day, right?
50:07
So I also want to have a career for myself.
50:09
So I would like to be a cosmetic nurse and run my own cosmetic business.
50:13
And I already have my business name.
50:15
I bought my business website.
50:17
And I've just paid for my cosmetic training that I'm going to get in January next year.
50:23
So I would just like to do something with my life.
50:26
So exciting, Erin.
50:27
Yeah, that's really exciting.
50:29
Thank you for being really open and sharing your story.
50:32
I don't know how often you do it.
50:34
I'm not sure if you're just like sick of doing the media rounds and being like,
50:37
and then I had a history.
50:39
Awesome.
50:41
But yeah, thank you so much.
50:43
And I really hope that this new body without, I mean, I don't even know what they take out with a history to me.
50:50
What have you, what have they taken out a whole ovaries?
50:52
They take your uterus, your full open tubes and your cervix.
50:56
So do you know what's really odd?
50:58
Are we allowed to talk about sex on here?
51:00
Yeah, yeah, yeah.
51:01
So, you know, and like the penis goes inside the vagina and it hits your cervix, right?
51:06
So it has, when they, when they ejaculate, when they ejaculate, the sperm goes into your uterus.
51:12
Yeah.
51:13
You know, when it goes into the sperm goes into your uterus.
51:16
Well, now it's like a stop.
51:19
Stopping because there's stitches coming out.
51:21
There's nothing there.
51:22
So we're just going to.
51:24
No, I just think that makes me cringe.
51:26
I was like, you're stomach.
51:28
No idea of the human body.
51:30
No, no.
51:31
So, so there's made like, so it's like a shut door now.
51:35
There's no opening.
51:36
So it goes up there and then it just comes through back out.
51:38
But does it kind of feel like it doesn't anyway?
51:41
Yeah, I feel like it kind of does that anyway.
51:44
No, yeah.
51:45
It does come back out, but it goes up there into your uterus and it goes towards your egg and hopefully,
51:49
hangs right there for a wee bit and then it comes.
51:52
Yeah.
51:53
And then it comes.
51:54
That's why like two days later it might come out.
51:57
Oh, yeah, it's not a good feeling.
51:59
No.
52:00
You've got to change the underwear.
52:02
I know.
52:03
So that's it like shit that makes me feel gross.
52:06
It's like that that's not there anymore.
52:08
Like I don't have a cervix.
52:10
I've just made it.
52:11
I made a fake cervix.
52:12
I've just made it stitched.
52:13
Oh my gosh, that's so funny.
52:14
It's weird.
52:15
It's just like.
52:16
I'll just come back down.
52:17
I know, but I really appreciate you guys having me on here,
52:22
because I love talking about this every single day.
52:24
I'd never get sick of it.
52:25
Well, thank you for sharing.
52:27
And I hope that sex is great when you can finally get back into it.
52:31
Yeah.
52:32
Yeah.
52:33
Yeah.
52:34
Yeah.
52:35
And also just life without, you know, the cervix, the uterus,
52:39
all the stuff and all the pain.
52:40
I really hope that you feel happier and like you can do the things that you want to do.
52:44
Yeah.
52:45
Thank you.
52:47
Gosh, I really enjoyed doing this episode.
52:49
I think I've learned a lot.
52:52
And I think that it's the sort of thing I hope there's men that listen to,
52:55
because if you're a boss or a husband or a boyfriend or a brother,
53:00
understanding how massive an effect endometriosis has on someone who has a uterus,
53:07
it's pretty giant isn't it?
53:09
Yeah.
53:10
And I also think with friends as well, like I have bad period cramps,
53:14
and I know how much that affects me,
53:18
and to think that there's women out there that are going through 10 times,
53:22
20 times worse than what I have to deal with,
53:25
makes me feel guilty that I wasn't or haven't been more supportive
53:30
as a friend or, you know, as a colleague or anything like that.
53:34
So I think this was a really big learning experience for me in terms of
53:38
just being a bit more conscious of what everyone else is going through.
53:42
And we have so many women come to us with different financial situations.
53:48
And I think this is just another example of you have no idea what people are going through financially as well.
53:56
Everyone has different things they have to pay for or live with or deal with
54:01
and don't compare yourself to anyone else or just have a bit more sympathy
54:06
if people are struggling emotionally, physically, financially or whatever.
54:11
Just be a bit more compassionate.
54:13
Yeah, no, 100%.
54:14
I think the hard thing is because it's not talked about enough.
54:17
There's a huge knowledge gap and it's not that people don't want to care.
54:21
It's just, you know, we're still so awkward about talking about periods
54:25
with someone who identifies as a man, let alone our friends.
54:30
I mean, I'm super guilty of being a little bit funny
54:35
about talking about that time of the month when I'm bleeding
54:38
and when I hear other people talk about it way more openly, I'm like,
54:41
gosh, I really should be better at that.
54:43
And so I hope that this episode and speaking to these women who have been so
54:47
open about their struggles, it just brings a bit of light to the situation around.
54:52
Yeah, as you say, awareness and therefore compassion.
54:55
We are going to be doing some more episodes with Eve Wellness around the cost of being a woman.
54:58
So if you have any ideas or things that you think could be covered similarly to this episode
55:02
we would love to hear from you and any feedback that you have on this episode
55:06
if you found it interesting, if there's ways that we could improve
55:09
don't we would really love any feedback.
55:11
So slide into the DMs or send us an email and we will talk to you soon.
55:16
Thank you so much for listening to Raising the Curve.
55:19
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55:23
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55:24
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55:31
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55:40
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55:52
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