Waiting for a pelvic pain appointment can feel like being stuck in limbo. But there are a few useful things you can get underway now, from organising some basic tests and screening to finding the right GP and starting to understand what might be contributing to your symptoms.

In this episode, Alecia and Cherie talk through practical things that may help while you wait, including what your bowels may be telling you, why breathing mechanics matter, whether hypermobility could be part of the picture, menstrual hibernation, and the value of finding a GP who can help coordinate your care.

There are 10 ideas in total, but this is not another giant to-do list. Pick one thing; start there.Resources mentioned in this episode:

💩 Bristol Stool Chart⁠https://www.england.nhs.uk/publication/constipation-resources-for-carers/⁠

🚽 Constipation Scoring System / Cleveland Clinic Constipation Score⁠https://thepelvicfloorsociety.co.uk/_userfiles/pages/files/Cleveland%20constipation%20score.pdf⁠

🦓 Hypermobility: Beighton Score + Five-Part Questionnaire⁠https://www.ehlers-danlos.com/assessing-joint-hypermobility/⁠

💳 Medicare Safety Net⁠https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/medicare-safety-nets⁠

🧪 Cervical screening and self-collection⁠https://www.health.gov.au/resources/collections/self-collection-for-the-cervical-screening-test⁠

As always, this podcast provides general information and is not a substitute for individual medical advice.

What happens when you add ADHD to an already complicated pelvic pain picture?

Dr Emilie Staehr joins us to unpack ADHD through a female lens: why it’s so often missed in women, how hormones can change the way symptoms show up, and what happens when executive dysfunction collides with the demands of managing chronic pain.

We talk periods, pregnancy and perimenopause, masking and burnout, and why asking someone to manage medications, appointments, physio, sleep, movement, bowel and bladder strategies can become almost impossible when ADHD is part of the picture.

And perhaps most importantly: what changes when you realise you’ve been living life on hard mode?

Is it really okay to skip periods? Do you need to have a bleed every month? Every few months? And what do you do when the pill that’s meant to stop your bleeding… doesn’t?

Dr Jess Floreani is back for a practical follow-up to our episode Is the Pill Just a Band-Aid?

We talk about why suppressing periods can be useful for people with painful periods, pelvic pain and endometriosis, and tackle some of the common worries about whether it’s safe to skip periods and what happens when you eventually stop the pill.

Then we get into the practical stuff: Slinda versus the combined pill, when to start, whether to take the sugar pills, how to skip periods, what to expect in the first few months, and how to troubleshoot breakthrough bleeding. We also cover the four-day “reset”, and when ongoing bleeding or pain might mean it’s time to try something different.

And we introduce a new way of thinking about period suppression: menstrual hibernation.

The bear isn’t gone. She’s just having a well-earned sleep.

Join GP Dr Alecia Macrow as she interviews interventional radiologist Dr James Hillhouse and nurse practitioner candidate Sarah Thorncraft to explore one of the most overlooked contributors to persistent pelvic pain: pelvic venous disease.

Together they unpack:

• ​why pelvic venous disease is often missed
• ​how venous pain differs from endometriosis
• ​the symptoms that should raise suspicion
• ​why a "normal" scan doesn't always rule it out
• ​which investigations to order and when to refer
• ​current interventional treatment options, including embolisation

Resources Meissner MH, Khilnani NM, et al. The Symptoms-Varices-Pathophysiology (SVP) classification of pelvic venous disorders. This is the consensus paper James refers to during the episode and provides an excellent framework for understanding pelvic venous disorders. Open-access article (PMC)

Thinking about a Mirena but feeling nervous? Heard horror stories about IUDs and aren't sure what to believe?

In this episode, GP Dr Jess Floreani joins Dr Alecia Macrow and exercise physiologist Cherie Noble to unpack everything you need to know about hormonal and copper IUDs.

We cover:
• Mirena vs Kyleena vs copper IUDs
• How they actually work
• Why they can be so effective for endometriosis, pelvic pain and heavy periods
• What insertion is really like
• Common side effects and what to expect afterwards
• Mood, weight gain and other common myths
• Risks such as perforation, infection and expulsion, and how common they really are
• When an IUD might (and might not) be the right choice

Whether you're considering an IUD yourself or you're a health professional supporting people with pelvic pain, this episode aims to replace fear with evidence and practical advice.

This podcast is for education only and is not a substitute for personalised medical advice. Please speak with your own healthcare professional about your individual circumstances.

This is a special combined episode of Endo Untangled and the Australian POTS Foundation. We're joined by Dr Marie-Claire Seeley, CEO of the Australian POTS Foundation, and Dr Fraser Burling, New Zealand rheumatologist and internationally recognised expert in hypermobility and connective tissue disorders.

Together we explore why connective tissue might be the missing link for some people living with invisible illness. We discuss hypermobility, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, mast cell activation, heavy bleeding, pelvic pain, POTS and why normal blood tests don't always mean nothing is wrong.

Because sometimes, if you can't connect the issues, it's worth thinking about the connective tissues.

Why do so many people with endometriosis also have food sensitivities, bloating, bladder symptoms, migraines, fatigue, POTS or hypermobility? Is it coincidence, or are we missing part of the picture?

Recorded live at the 2026 Australian POTS Foundation Conference, we sat down with internationally recognised cardiologist Dr Alexis Cutchens to talk about mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS), a topic many of us were never taught about, but one that keeps showing up in complex patients.

We explore what mast cells actually do, why MCAS can look like much more than "just allergies", and why clinicians working in pelvic pain often find themselves learning about POTS, connective tissue disorders and immune dysfunction.

Along the way, we discuss everything from heavy periods, bladder symptoms, medication sensitivities, hormones and pregnancy through to perimenopause, antihistamines, and the very real experience of patients who seem to collect diagnosis after diagnosis without anyone joining the dots.

This is a conversation about curiosity and complexity. We don't have all the answers, but if you've ever wondered whether these conditions might be more connected than we realise, come along for this incredible ride!

Why do we have periods at all, when most mammals don’t?

In this episode we catch up with Dr. Deena Emera, evolutionary biologist and author of A Brief History of the Female Body, and look at menstruation through an evolutionary lens that shifts the usual framing.

We unpack what’s actually happening between the brain, ovaries and uterus, and why menstruation may be less about a monthly inconvenience and more about an active, coordinated process. One of the more interesting ideas is the uterus behaving less like a passive lining and more like a kind of checkpoint, responding to what’s happening upstream.

We also get into how far modern cycles have drifted from what the body likely evolved for. More cycles across a lifetime, higher hormone peaks, and a different symptom burden. That context matters when you’re thinking about pain, PMS, and conditions like endometriosis.

If you work in this space, or you’re trying to make sense of your own cycle, have a listen to this great hour of evolutionary insight.

Find Dr Emera's great book here:

https://www.amazon.com.au/Brief-History-Female-Body-Evolutionary/dp/1728275156

More on Prof Beverly Strassman:
https://sites.lsa.umich.edu/bis/

Why do so many people with pelvic pain feel like they have constant UTIs… even when the tests keep coming back negative?

In this episode, we sit down with urogynecologist and pelvic floor expert A/Prof Tanaka Dune to unpack the incredibly complex world of bladder pain, urgency, frequency, pelvic floor dysfunction and the nervous system.

We talk about:
• why bladder pain is so often misunderstood
• the overlap between pelvic floor tension, endometriosis, bowel symptoms and bladder symptoms
• what urogynecologists actually do
• why some people may have “UTI symptoms” without a standard urine test showing infection
• the emerging science around the bladder microbiome
• interstitial cystitis/bladder pain syndrome
• how stress, trauma, posture, gait, back pain and the pelvic floor all connect
• common bladder irritants including caffeine, alcohol and carbonated drinks
• why pelvic floor exams can be such a lightbulb moment for patients
• and the surprisingly powerful role of mirrors in helping women reconnect with and understand their anatomy

Tanaka brings a deeply compassionate and systems-based approach to pelvic pain care, and this conversation completely shifts the way you think about the bladder.

This episode is for anyone living with bladder symptoms, recurrent “UTIs”, pelvic pain, painful sex, urgency/frequency, or clinicians wanting a better framework for understanding these presentations.

You can find A/Prof Tanaka Dune online as “Dr Pelvic Floor”.

Endo Untangled is hosted by Dr. Alecia Macrow and Cherie Noble.
New episodes released fortnightly.

Have you ever wondered how a pathologist actually decides whether tissue is endometriosis?

Endometriosis is often described as “endometrial-like tissue” growing outside the uterus. But what does that really mean? What does endometriosis actually look like under the microscope? Where does it come from? And what can pathology tell us about this complex disease?

Joining us is anatomical pathologist Dr Rebecca Morrow, who spends her days examining endometriosis, cancer and other complex gynaecological conditions under the microscope.

Together, we tackle some of the biggest questions in endometriosis:

• What are pathologists actually looking for when diagnosing endometriosis?

• What does endometriosis look like under the microscope?

• Where does it come from?

• Why do pathology reports sometimes seem confusing?

• Can endometriosis be missed?

• How is endometriosis different from cancer, despite some surprising similarities?

• What should patients know about their biopsy results?

A fascinating conversation that takes us inside the pathology lab and offers a microscopic view of one of medicine’s most misunderstood conditions