One of the most common and harmful things people with endometriosis are told is that their pain is ‘all in their head’. As an endometriosis-specialised counsellor, I see the significant psychological harm caused by these sorts of dismissive comments in my practice every day.
So, when now-former Triple M radio presenter Marty Sheargold commented live on prime-time radio last week that endometriosis is “made up”, and his male co-hosts laughed along, my heart sank.
Endometriosis affects nearly one million women, girls, and gender-diverse Australians, and approximately 190 million worldwide. It is a medical condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows outside the uterus, causing severe pain, inflammation, fatigue, and organ dysfunction. It can affect all areas of a person’s life – work, study, diet, finances, relationships, sex, self-esteem, and fertility. And it costs the Australian economy $9.7 billion annually.
Sheargold told listeners that he had borrowed a female executive producer’s “period heat pack” because of a sore back, before going on to remark, “God, don’t ladies carry on. Jesus Christ, there is no end of it. Honestly, endometriosis – and this is controversial… It’s made up.”
While some listeners defended Sheargold, saying that he was “just joking”, there was widespread backlash from healthcare professionals, public figures, and those affected by the condition.
“He claims to be a comedian, but let me tell you, there is nothing funny about a disease that causes organs to stick together or about being told you may never have children,” author and Endometriosis advocate Bridget Hustwaite said in a statement to PerthNow.
A video of the clip posted on social media by Missing Perspectives has been viewed 184,000 times and shared over 2,000 times at the time of writing.
Sheargold’s comments, just a few days before the start of Endometriosis Awareness Month, were like rubbing salt in a wound for the endometriosis community. Many patients took to social media to post images and videos of their scars, scans, and surgery photos, with captions like, “Hey Marty, meet my insides”, and “Calling my gynaecologist, pain specialist, GP, private health insurance… to let them all know I’m owed over a $200k refund because Marty Sheargold told me endometriosis has just been ‘made up’ this whole time.”
In a now-viral social media video, Brisbane-based OBGYN Dr Brad Robinson expressed his frustration with Sheargold’s comments, explaining that the disease is already “grossly unrecognised, has a 6.5-year gap between onset of symptoms and diagnosis… and affects quality of life in so many ways”. Dr Robinson says this is due to “a whole range of factors, including societal conditioning and medical inattention… The medical profession has really badly let women down over such a long period of time.”
Initial findings from the Victorian government’s recent landmark Inquiry into Women’s Pain highlighted the negative experiences that many have had when seeking healthcare in both the private and public systems, including sexism and misogyny, and feeling dismissed by healthcare professionals who attributed their pain to psychological factors.
Nikki Campbell is an Endometriosis Clinical Nurse Consultant and Nurse Practitioner Candidate, with over 14 years of nursing experience treating patients in palliative care, intensive care, and now endometriosis care. In an interview for the soon-to-be-launched endokind podcast, Campbell explained: “I deal with more distress in endometriosis patients than I did in palliative patients – people at the end of their life – and in ICU, so people who have had catastrophic events happen to them. Endometriosis patients have much more distress than either of those two groups.”
In response to Sheargold’s comments, Campbell said over the phone: “Comments like these are an exact example of why patients experience so much distress, because of society’s lack of belief and understanding of the significance of this condition and how it impacts lives.”
When someone in the media publicly trivialises the pain of those suffering from endometriosis, and even goes so far as to say that it’s ‘made up’, this can perpetuate harmful beliefs about women being ‘hysterical’ and exaggerating pain, as well as stigma and taboo around periods, period pain, and women’s health in general. Dismissive remarks can normalise a culture where people feel justified in invalidating or mocking women’s pain, particularly when it comes to conditions like endometriosis. It signals to society that it’s acceptable to disregard or belittle women’s suffering, all in the name of a ‘joke’.
In my work supporting the mental health of those with endometriosis, I see the psychological harm caused by having their very real, debilitating suffering dismissed and invalidated. It can lead to low self-esteem and self-worth, feelings of shame and hopelessness, loss of trust in others, and worsening of mental health conditions like anxiety and depression. When endometriosis patients internalise the invalidation they receive from others, they can lose trust in themselves and start to doubt their own reality. They can stop seeking help, voicing concerns, asking questions, and advocating for themselves.
Endometriosis Awareness Month is an important time to amplify the voices and experiences of those affected and to address stigma and misinformation. While Sheargold’s comments have been hurtful and harmful to the endometriosis community, I am heartened by the power and strength of our collective advocacy. This ugly moment has become an opportunity to stand up together to challenge these sexist and harmful attitudes and correct misinformation.
And when the endometriosis community comes together, we are a powerful force to reckon with.
As everyone’s favourite American OBGYN, Dr Karen Tang, acknowledges in her new book, It’s Not Hysteria, “Endometriosis advocates have to fight tooth and nail just to receive the right diagnosis and often struggle for access to specialists and effective treatment. Frustrated by a broken system, they have formed online communities… They’ve championed this fight and successfully lobbied for increased government funding for endometriosis awareness and research.”
But it shouldn’t all be on patients’ shoulders to educate others and drive change.
Brad Hinton, the partner of a woman with endometriosis and an ambassador for Kosi’s ‘Man Up for Endo’ campaign, wrote an opinion piece for news.com.au condemning Sheargold’s comments. Hinton wrote, “How could someone with a national platform, with the ears of so many Aussie men, spew such ignorant rubbish?”. Hinton and Kosi are appealing to men to speak up and support the people in their lives living with endometriosis. Hinton urged men, “It’s time to wake up… Stop brushing off women’s pain. Stop saying ‘just get over it’… The more men who understand, the better. Talk to your mates. Break the stigma.”
To improve the healthcare, quality of life, and mental health of endometriosis patients, we all have a role to play in fostering a culture where patients feel safe and supported to speak up, express their needs and concerns, and get the proper support and care they so desperately need and deserve.
A public apology from Sheargold to the endometriosis community would be the least he could do.
