Sam Jeffrey

Barriers to care for transgender and gender diverse people with endometriosis; gaps in Australian healthcare provider curriculum

Transgender and gender diverse (TGD) people assigned female at birth (AFAB) experience rates of pelvic pain between 51-72 percent and have increased barriers to gynaecological care. Key barriers include discrimination, stigma and a lack of practitioners knowledgeable in TGD gynaecological health. TGD people frequently report avoiding accessing gynaecological care due to fear of or past experiences of discrimination, anxiety with gynaecological exam, fear of misgendering and the all too common experience of having to educate their own healthcare provider on TGD health. In Australia, 42.1 percent of young TGD people report experiences with a practitioner who did not understand or respect their gender identity, and 60 percent report feeling isolated from healthcare services.

A lack of provider knowledge around TGD health is a key barrier to healthcare for TGD people with endometriosis/suspected endometriosis. This MPhil project will investigate the current inclusion of TGD health content in medical and complementary alternative medicine (CAM) school curriculum. This research will identify current gaps in the curriculum, barriers to inclusion and will development of an education module. Findings can inform recommendations for the inclusion of TGD health content in healthcare curriculum.

Supervisors:

Associate Professor Mike Armour,  Associate Professor Tania Ferfolja