It took Mariah Borgonha more than a decade to be diagnosed with endometriosis.
The Melbourne woman was experiencing debilitating periods from the age of 12 but her GP told her the pain was normal.
"I can still picture her saying, 'just drink some water, it'll be fine'," Ms Borgonha said.
She finally received a diagnosis at 23 after changing GPs and speaking about her symptoms more openly.
Ms Borgonha's experience is similar to many other women's, with a new Victorian inquiry set up to examine women's pain and their treatment in the health sector.
The Australian-first inquiry will look at systemic issues, hear directly from women and be led by a panel of experts overseen by the Women's Health Advisory Council.
"For too long, women's health has been seen as a niche issue and it has not had the attention the support that it deserves," Premier Jacinta Allan told reporters at parliament on Monday.
"There is a gender pain gap."
Ms Allan is among the 200,000 Victorians living with endometriosis - a condition where tissue similar to the lining of the uterus grows elsewhere in the body.
She was diagnosed with the painful condition in her early 30s after she struggled to conceive.
"I just put it down to really heavy periods and really bad period pain," Ms Allan told Mamma Mia's The Quicky podcast.
"I sought some medical advice, and yeah I had quite a bad case of endo."
Two in five Victorian women are living with chronic pain, according to a new government survey of more than 1700 women.
The Listening to Women's Voices survey found close to half of all women are impacted by issues related to their periods, pregnancy, birth and postnatal care, or conditions like endometriosis.
About half reported period-related conditions affected their health and wellbeing, while a third have health conditions that affect their ability to work and keep a job.
One in three women also reported insensitive and disrespectful health practitioners who left them feeling dismissed and unheard.
Dr Sarah White, chief executive of Jean Hailes for Women's Health, was hopeful the new government inquiry would lead to better outcomes.
"What it could look like is more research into women's pain and more research into how we more effectively treat women's pain," she told AAP.
"The other part is to see clinicians recognising that women experience pain differently and to not dismiss them."
That lack of empathy was leading to delayed diagnoses of conditions like endometriosis, Dr White said.
"Women are told it's normal for you to get pain, this is what you need to deal with," she said.
"But whether it's your period or anything else - if you're in pain, you do need to go and see a doctor.
"If that doctor can't help you, you need to find someone who will. Don't accept your pain being dismissed."
Submissions to the new inquiry can be made from January 30, with women of all backgrounds and gender diverse people welcome to share their stories.
There will then be a nine-week consultation period before the inquiry provides a report to government later this year.
The make-up of the inquiry's committee and terms of reference will be announced next week, Health Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said.
"Too many women are living with pain, pain that is often undiagnosed and untreated," she said.
"We want a health system that caters for all Victorians, that really meets the needs of all Victorians."
