Endometriosis Australia has launched its first national television campaign, aiming to highlight that debilitating period pain that puts women's lives on hold is 'not normal' and could be a symptom of endometriosis. The condition is estimated to affect 1 in 7 Australian girls and women.

The ‘Take Your Life Off Hold’ TVC will run on Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) regional stations across the nation as part of SCA’s Embrace two-year partnership with Endometriosis Australia. The campaign was developed by integrated communications agency, HAVAS Red. The TVC features Isabelle Nader, who was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2022.

"Being part of this TVC proved to me that we are all on this journey together. It means that I'm not alone in my suffering and that we are breaking down a barrier of taboo by talking about endometriosis and period pain. Finally, it affirms I should be taken seriously when I say, 'I cannot move because of my period," said Nader.

The campaign follows a recent out-of-home (OOH) advertising campaign - 'It’s not just period pain, it could be endometriosis' - donated by Ryval Media and playing on SCA radio since March of this year. Traffic to Endometriosis Australia's website has doubled in the four months since the OOH campaign launched.

The new TVC will air across SCA’s 34 Regional TV channels, in conjunction with a new radio campaign spanning both Metro and Regional Stations & LiSTNR, potentially reaching more than 95% of the Australian population.

Chair of Endometriosis Australia, Monica Forlano, said: "We are delighted to launch the first awareness campaign on broadcast television for this disease in this country. There is still an average six-and-a-half-year delay between the onset of symptoms and diagnosis of endometriosis in Australia, and this delay is often longer for those living in regional communities. As someone who has experienced the devastating symptoms for over 19 years before finally getting an endometriosis diagnosis, the 'Take Your Life Off Hold' campaign is close to my heart."

Chief Executive Officer, Southern Cross Austereo, John Kelly, said: "We are delighted to announce the next step in our partnership with Endometriosis Australia through the SCA Embrace program, with the extension of our Community Service Announcements to television. The new TVC will air across SCA’s 34 Regional TV channels, in conjunction with our new radio campaign spanning both Metro and Regional Stations & LiSTNR with the potential to reach more than 95% of the Australian population."

Managing Partner, Health and Wellness at HAVAS Red, Nicole Phillips, said: "As a Village we thrive working on meaningful projects that have a personal impact to our team and the broader community. Back in 2017 we first supported Endometriosis awareness through a PR and government relations campaign that generated historic funding for research into the disease and a commitment to develop the first national plan to tackle it."