‘Use these strategies to advocate for yourself at your next doctor's appointment’: a snapshot of Australian online news framing of endometriosis in 2024

This paper reports on findings from a framing analysis of 98 Australian online news reports published in 2024 about endometriosis drawn from a variety of news publications. Using an approach informed by framing theory, biocommunicability and Dan and Raupp’s systematic review of health news frames, the study includes deductive and inductive frames. The analysis reveals how in the news, endometriosis is represented as a cause of individualised pain and suffering that patient-consumers must address through self-advocacy and self-education. While articles did consider thematic framings through reporting of wider issues such as medical gaslighting in endometriosis related care and widespread diagnostic delays, these issues were discussed as regrettable yet ultimately normal consequences of individual medical practitioner failures. Further, these issues were often told through narrative stories and attached to actions everyday people can take to address them, rather than considering wider, systemic-level changes or proposed solutions that could be addressed. Along with this prevalence of narrative reporting, and while pain was foregrounded as a serious symptom, infertility caused by endometriosis was commonly reported despite existing research which highlights the detriment of colluding these two issues. These findings echo existing media research, demonstrating that when reported in news media, endometriosis remains discussed as an individual condition, focused on symptoms such as fertility, and solutions related to self-advocacy. We argue that through this there is an agentless responsibility in this news reporting of endometriosis; while systemic issues are discussed, systemic solutions remain unaddressed, and the audience is left unknowing what to do beyond individual solutions.