Evidence map›Paper›PMID 31600241›Full record

ArticlePloS one2019

The cost of illness and economic burden of endometriosis and chronic pelvic pain in Australia: A national online survey.

Mike Armour, Kenny Lawson, Aidan Wood, Caroline A Smith, Jason Abbott

Open access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 92 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
92citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
18.2field-weighted citation impact, top 1% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

92 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 234 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Women's Causal Beliefs About Their Pelvic Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-Ethnography.Pain practice : the official journal of World Institute of Pain · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Pooled it
  4. Social Media Health Information Formats and Endometriosis Treatment-Seeking Intentions: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Medical decision making : an international journal of the Society for Medical Decision Making · 2026
    Trial
  5. Article
  6. Review
  7. Review
  8. Predictive markers of endometriosis: a future perspective.Archives of gynecology and obstetrics · 2026
    Review
  9. Article
  10. Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Article
  14. Review
  15. Article
  16. Prevalence and Impact of Period and Pelvic Pain in Australian Adolescents: The PPEP Talk Schools Program.The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology · 2026
    Article
  17. Article
  18. Article
  19. Review
  20. Article

32 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Mike ArmourNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-7539-9851
Kenny LawsonTranslational Health Research Institute (THRI), Western Sydney University, Sydney New South Wales, Australia.
Aidan WoodNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Caroline A SmithNICM Health Research Institute, Western Sydney University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Jason AbbottSchool of Women's and Children's Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Translational Research Institute · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

introductionEndometriosis has a significant cost of illness burden in Europe, UK and the USA, with the majority of costs coming from reductions in productivity. However, information is scarce on if there is a differing impact between endometriosis and other causes of chronic pelvic pain, and if there are modifiable factors, such as pain severity, that may be significant contributors to the overall burden.

methodsAn online survey was hosted by SurveyMonkey and the link was active between February to April 2017. Women aged 18-45, currently living in Australia, who had either a confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis via laparoscopy or chronic pelvic pain without a diagnosis of endometriosis were included. The retrospective component of the WERF EndoCost tool was used to determine direct healthcare costs, direct non-healthcare costs (carers) and indirect costs due to productivity loss. Estimates were extrapolated to the Australian population using published prevalence estimates.

results407 valid responses were received. The cost of illness burden was significant in women with chronic pelvic pain (Int $16,970 to $ 20,898 per woman per year) irrespective of whether they had a diagnosis of endometriosis. The majority of costs (75-84%) were due to productivity loss. Both absolute and relative productivity costs in Australia were higher than previous estimates based on data from Europe, UK and USA. Pain scores showed the strongest relationship to productivity costs, a 12.5-fold increase in costs between minimal to severe pain. The total economic burden per year in Australia in the reproductive aged population (at 10% prevalence) was 6.50 billion Int $.

conclusionSimilar to studies in European, British and American populations, productivity costs are the greatest contributor to overall costs. Given pain is the most significant contributor, priority should be given to improving pain control in women with pelvic pain.

Indexed as

Cost of IllnessInternetSurveys and QuestionnairesAdolescentAdultAustraliaChronic PainEndometriosisFemaleHumansPelvic PainSeverity of Illness IndexYoung Adult

Identifiers

PMID31600241
PMCPMC6786587
OpenAlexW2979960321

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.