Understanding Endometriosis Pain: In conversation with Dr Jane Chalmers (Pelvic Pain Researcher)
When it comes to endometriosis, pain isn’t always a simple reflection of what’s happening in the tissues, and there are many things that contribute to pain (before, during, and after endometriosis-related surgery).
As Dr Jane Chalmers, Senior Lecturer in Pain Sciences at Adelaide University and pelvic pain researcher, explains:
“There are people with very mild endometriosis who experience severe pain, and others with stage 4 disease who don’t feel much pain at all.”
I had the privilege to sit down with Dr Chalmers during a trip to Adelaide University earlier this year and got to ask her some big questions about pain, endometriosis or pelvic pain laparoscopy, and how to best recover after endometriosis-related surgery. Watch the conversation below 👇
So, pain can be complex. And that complexity (or sophistication) can be challenging, but it can also be empowering. It reminds us that while surgery often plays an important role, recovery involves much more than just removing lesions. At the crux of it, surgery is a major inflammatory event, and it takes time, rest, and care for the body and nervous system to settle again.
Dr Chalmers encourages people to think of surgery as one part of a much bigger picture. Sleep, stress, movement, nutrition, and social connection all interact with the body’s pain systems. Understanding how these factors influence pain helps people make sense of what they feel, and take small, meaningful steps toward feeling better.
“Good management has to start with good understanding,” says Dr Chalmers. “You won’t change behaviour until you understand why it matters.”
For many, that shift in understanding opens up a “golden period” after surgery… a time to rebuild routines, move gently, reconnect socially, and nourish recovery in ways that make the benefits of surgery last longer.
It really reflects the philosophy that the Matilda pre- and post-surgery program is built on: nurturing your nervous system and helping you get back to living, not just healing.
The Matilda ‘Nurture your Nervous System’ Model of Care