Dr Millie Mardon is a pelvic pain researcher at Western Sydney University with her own lived experience of the condition. Diagnosed with endometriosis at 14 after years of debilitating period pain, Millie navigated surgeries and a complex healthcare system — and is now happy to say she is pain-free. That experience became the foundation of her entire research career.

RESOURCES: 

• Try Pain Coach for free
• Millie’s Research “I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now” 
• Millie’s Instagram 
• Millie’s researcher profile

KEY TOPICS:

0:00 — Introduction & trailer
1:25 — Why Millie devoted her life to pelvic pain research
3:12 — Millie’s personal story: endometriosis from her first period
3:36 — The 7–9 year diagnosis delay in Australia — and why it matters
7:23 — The role of parental advocacy in getting answers
9:26 — Is a diagnosis the be-all and end-all?
12:55 — Pain-free for over 10 years
14:06 — What Millie thinks made the difference in her recovery
16:17 — “I Wish I Knew Then What I Know Now” — her landmark research study
18:05 — The 4 pain science education concepts that actually help people with pelvic pain
22:34 — Where lifestyle fits into pain: sleep, stress, diet & exercise
25:40 — How a medical scientist ended up in pain research
27:24 — The influence of Lorimer Moseley, David Butler & Explain Pain
29:45 — What actually is endometriosis?
33:20 — Prevalence: 1 in 7 women, 1 in 5 with persistent pelvic pain
34:48 — Why is endometriosis still so underfunded?
40:09 — Surgery for endometriosis: what does the research actually say?
40:43 — The Melbourne surgery scandal (ABC Four Corners: Scarred)
42:05 — The real numbers: 50% improve, 25% stay the same, 25% get worse
43:26 — Ablation vs excision: which works better and why
48:38 — The danger of swinging too far — biomedical vs biopsychosocial
52:46 — Millie’s current research projects
53:28 — The pelvic pain social media campaign for young people
54:39 — The EndoEd trial: pain science education before laparoscopy
56:14 — The big unanswered question: why do some people get better and others don’t?
57:14 — Gut health and endometriosis: 97% of people have GI symptoms
59:50 — Millie’s parting advice for anyone navigating pelvic pain