A new treatment for endometriosis is now available in New Zealand, but it will set you back about $250 for a month's supply.
Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease, with symptoms including period and pelvic pain, subfertility and infertility.
An estimated one in 10 Kiwi women lives with endometriosis, and there is no cure for it.
But Medsafe has approved a new drug to treat symptoms.
Ryeqo is an oral tablet taken once daily with its main component – Relugolix – reducing the hormone oestrogen that drives endometriosis symptoms, including pain.
Whilst the oestradiol and norethisterone acetate add-back therapy components help to maintain hormonal balance.
Endometriosis New Zealand chief executive Tanya Cooke said New Zealanders living with endometriosis had long faced a limited range of treatment options.
"To provide truly effective care, we must ensure equitable access to the full spectrum of evidence-based therapies," she said.
"The availability of new treatment options is really positive for the more than 120,000 New Zealand women, girls and those assigned female at birth navigating this condition."
But there is a catch – it's not funded and is only available through a private prescription.
A month's supply of Ryeqo costs approximately $250, with patients having to cover the treatment and pay any healthcare fees.
Pharmac told RNZ it hadn't received an application to consider funding Ryeqo.
GP and chair of the NZ Women in Medicine, Dr Orna McGinn, said it was her understanding that it was available on procurement.
"If a doctor or medical professional has a patient who may benefit from this, they can apply to have it made available and then the patient pays privately," she told Morning Report.
"But no information as yet has actually come out to primary care, general practice and we as GPs would be the workforce who would probably most come into contact with women who have been diagnosed or possibly have endometriosis.
"It would be really good to get some good information out about where this sits in the pantheon of treatments because we don't have a lot of medical treatments available at the moment for women with suspected endometriosis."
Dr McGinn said most women who live with endometriosis use an oral contraceptive pill to override their cycles and control symptoms, as well as anti-inflammatory painkillers.
She said the condition was highly problematic.
"I think painful periods are normalised for a lot of women. About half of women suffer with painful periods," she said.
"But with endometriosis, we're not just talking about painful periods.
"Often, we're talking about absolutely dreadful, debilitating pain, which prevents women being able to get to work or study and impacts on fertility and we know that only recognition and diagnosis will lead to effective treatment, which brings people back into the workforce, improves GDP.
"We know that every dollar spent on women is returned up to 10 times, but the unfortunate thing is, without not just endometriosis treatment, but actually the implementation of a women's health strategy, which we've passed into law for over two years now, we are still looking at women's health lagging behind many other comparable countries. "
She said the treatment in the UK had resulted in a significant lessening of endometriosis symptoms, such as pain and bleeding for women.
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