Endometriosis Care in Newcastle: Building Your Care Team

If you have endometriosis or think you might, care in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Hunter usually starts with your GP. Your GP can arrange an internal ultrasound, refer you to a gynaecologist, and bring in other professionals as you need them: pelvic health physiotherapy, pain management, psychology and an Accredited Practising Dietitian. The government-funded Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinic for the Hunter New England and Central Coast region is at Wyoming on the Central Coast. Medicare helps with several steps, including newer items introduced in 2025.

Why a care team matters

Endometriosis affects at least one in seven girls, women and people assigned female at birth in Australia. The Department of Health says people wait an average of 6 to 8 years for a diagnosis. Part of the reason is that symptoms cross many systems: periods, pelvic pain, bowels, bladder, fatigue, mood and fertility.

No single treatment works for everyone. Jean Hailes notes that people are more likely to have good long-term outcomes with early referral and help from a skilled medical team, for example doctors, gynaecologists, surgeons with special training and pelvic floor physiotherapists. healthdirect suggests asking your doctor about pelvic floor physiotherapy, a psychologist or a pain clinic. The table below shows who usually does what, and how you get to each.

Step 1: your GP

Your GP is the hub. They can take a history, examine you, check bloods (including iron if bleeding is heavy) and organise imaging and referrals. If you do not have a regular GP, it is worth finding one you can keep seeing, because endometriosis care is usually long term.

Before the appointment, try RANZCOG’s Raising Awareness Tool for Endometriosis (RATE). It is a quick online tool for patients and health professionals to assess possible endometriosis symptoms. healthdirect says it may help you get a diagnosis faster. A simple diary of pain, bleeding, bowel symptoms and missed days across two or three cycles also helps.

Questions worth asking your GP:

• Could my symptoms be endometriosis or adenomyosis, and what else are you considering?
• Should I have an internal ultrasound, and can it be done by someone experienced in endometriosis imaging?
• Do I need a gynaecologist referral now, and is a public clinic an option for me?
• Would a GP Chronic Condition Management Plan suit me for physio, psychology or dietitian visits?
• Should my iron be checked?

The Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics

The Australian Government funds Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Clinics through Primary Health Networks. In November 2025 the government announced 11 more clinics, bringing the total to 33, with at least one in every Primary Health Network region. Each clinic sits inside an existing general practice. The aims include faster diagnosis, better pain management and more access to allied health. From July 2026, the clinics also began offering perimenopause and menopause care, based on local community needs.

There is no clinic in Newcastle, Lake Macquarie or the Hunter Valley itself. The clinic for the Hunter New England and Central Coast region is the Central Coast Community Women’s Health Centre in Wyoming. The government’s clinic list shows it as operational (page updated October 2026), and it officially opened in April 2026. Contact the clinic to ask about eligibility, fees and bookings before you travel. You can see the full list on the Department of Health clinic page.

You do not have to attend one of these clinics to get good care. A GP close to home can coordinate the same pathway.

Step 2: imaging and diagnosis

Jean Hailes says an internal (transvaginal) ultrasound is the recommended way to look for signs of endometriosis in Australia. It is more accurate than a scan on your belly. Scans are not perfect, though. You may still have endometriosis even if the scan looks clear. If you cannot have an internal ultrasound, your doctor may suggest an MRI. A laparoscopy (keyhole surgery) can confirm endometriosis and treat it during the same operation.

Since 1 November 2025, Medicare has a new ultrasound item (55080) for complex gynaecological conditions, including severe endometriosis and adenomyosis. It can be claimed only when a complex condition is known or suspected, and it needs at least 30 minutes of scanning. The Department of Health also lists a Medicare-funded MRI to help investigate infertility in people with severe endometriosis. Costs still vary between imaging practices, so ask about out-of-pocket fees when you book.

Adenomyosis is a related condition where the lining cells grow into the muscle wall of the uterus. It can cause heavy, painful periods, and you can have it alongside endometriosis. It is also assessed with ultrasound or MRI. Read more in our adenomyosis guide.

Step 3: seeing a gynaecologist

You need a GP referral to see a gynaecologist with a Medicare rebate. As elsewhere in NSW, your GP can refer you to public hospital gynaecology services or to a private gynaecologist. Costs and waiting times differ between public and private care, so ask your GP which suits you.

From 1 July 2025, Medicare added longer gynaecologist consultations of 45 minutes or more for complex conditions such as endometriosis and pelvic pain. These are items 125 (first visit) and 126 (follow-up), with video versions 127 and 129. They need a referral. A longer appointment gives more time to go through your history and plan.

Ask your gynaecologist about the pros and cons of each option, including hormonal medicines and surgery. Whatever treatment you choose, the rest of the team can keep working alongside it.

Step 4: pain, physiotherapy and psychology

Endometriosis pain can continue even after treatment. healthdirect recommends asking for a referral to pelvic floor physiotherapy, a psychologist or a pain clinic to build strategies for chronic pain. Pelvic health physiotherapists can also help with bladder and bowel symptoms.

The 2022 European (ESHRE) guideline says psychological support should be considered for people with confirmed endometriosis. It also asks clinicians to discuss non-medical ways to support quality of life. If pain is affecting your mood and your GP assesses a mental health condition, a Mental Health Treatment Plan can give Medicare rebates for up to 10 individual psychology sessions a year under Better Access.

Step 5: where a dietitian fits

A dietitian does not diagnose endometriosis or replace medical treatment. The evidence on food and endometriosis itself is still limited. The ESHRE guideline makes no recommendation for any specific nutrition intervention for endometriosis pain, because the benefits and harms are unclear. Jean Hailes says there is no direct evidence that nutrition influences endometriosis, but a healthy diet matters for overall wellbeing. If bowel symptoms seem linked to certain foods, Jean Hailes suggests asking your doctor for a referral to a dietitian with experience in this area.

So what does an Accredited Practising Dietitian actually look at? In an endometriosis consult, the focus is usually on:

• Symptom patterns. How pain, bloating and bowel changes line up with your cycle, meals, stress and sleep.
• Gut symptoms and “endo belly”. People with endometriosis have about three times the odds of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Telling the two apart, and managing both, is a big part of the work. Our endo belly guide explains why bloating happens.
• Iron. Heavy periods are a common cause of iron loss. We look at how your eating supports iron, alongside your GP’s blood tests and treatment. Our iron intake calculator is a starting point.
• Avoiding unnecessary restriction. Many people cut out whole food groups after reading online advice. Cutting foods without a clear reason can make eating harder, narrow nutrition and add stress. We help you work out what is worth testing, and how to bring foods back.
• Fit with your treatment. Medicines, surgery recovery, fertility plans and energy for work or study all shape what is realistic.

The detail of what to eat depends on your symptoms, so it is something your dietitian works out with you. For an overview of the research, see what the evidence says about food and endometriosis and how a dietitian can support you.

Medicare and costs for allied health

Since 1 July 2025, the GP Chronic Condition Management Plan (GPCCMP) has replaced the old GP Management Plan and Team Care Arrangements. If you have a chronic condition and your GP prepares a plan and refers you, you can claim Medicare rebates for up to 5 individual allied health services per calendar year (up to 10 for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people). Those 5 are shared across all allied health types. For example, you might use 3 for physiotherapy and 2 for a dietitian. Plans made before 1 July 2025 can still be used until 30 June 2027.

Each service must run at least 20 minutes. For a dietitian, the face-to-face item is 10954, and video and phone items are also available. Your allied health provider reports back to your GP after the first and last sessions, which keeps the team connected.

A few practical points:

• You do not need a referral to book with Ausclin. You need a GP referral under a plan to claim the Medicare rebate.
• Private health extras may cover dietetics, physiotherapy or psychology, depending on your policy.
• With 5 sessions shared across the year, talk with your GP about how to use them. Our Medicare dietitian rebate guide explains the details.

Support organisations

You do not have to work it all out alone. These Australian organisations are current and offer free information or support:

The National Action Plan for Endometriosis was released in July 2018. Since then, around $127 million has been committed to research, awareness and clinical care.