A catalyst for care

As a successful gynaecologist, Dr Fariba Behnia-Willison thought she could fix most of the problems that came through her door with skilled surgery.

But in 2010 she realised there was a need for a new, holistic approach to gynaecology and women’s health. Twelve years later, her passion to do things differently has led to her business FBW Gynaecology Plus and the charity Desert Flower becoming the Accelerating Women & Championing Health National 2023 Telstra Best of Business Awards winner.

Iran-born and Germany-trained, Dr Behnia-Willison was experienced in addressing the often-silent suffering experienced by women with gynaecological problems. But in 2010, while working as a surgeon in Adelaide, she was forced to reconsider her approach when challenged by a 30-year-old breast cancer patient who had experienced a double mastectomy, lost her ovaries, and was taking Tamoxifen as part of her breast cancer treatment.

‘She tearfully told me that she had been previously dismissed by seven other gynaecologists who had all told her there was nothing they could do to help her. In fact, she should be happy that she is alive,’ Dr Behnia-Willison recalls.

The patient said intimacy was impossible due to the excruciating pain she experienced as a side effect of her breast cancer treatment. Her genitalia were so painful that even sitting was problematic. ‘She said: “I cannot be a mother; I cannot be a lover; What is the point of prolonging life if there is no quality of life?”,’ she says.

‘That question confronted me because it forced me to change my view as a surgeon and as a women’s health provider. In this instance there was proof that even my advanced surgical skills and knowledge of traditional HRT were not going to assist this patient.’

Dr Behnia-Willison decided a better approach would be to use platelet-rich plasma (PRP) encourage tissue regeneration as treatment for severe vaginal atrophy.

The patient’s quality of life changed significantly and her confidence in the regenerative powers of PRP solidified to the point that during her next appointment she asked for an injection of PRP in her face.

‘This was the catalyst for me to write to GPs as I wanted to conduct a study on 100 women, and I asked them to refer me women with similar conditions.

‘To my surprise, I received many referrals quickly, even for other conditions such as treatment-resistant vulval lichen sclerosus,’ says Dr Behnia-Willison.

This led Dr Behnia-Willison to research other regenerative modalities besides surgery, and eventually to complete a PhD.

She established a centre of minimally invasive surgery and regenerative medicine with a multi-disciplinary approach to women’s health, recognising that her patients’ individual social, emotional and economic circumstances should influence their treatment plans – and that women should be involved in the decision-making process.

Her patients have access to a physiotherapist, pain specialist, colorectal specialist, urologist, sexologist, nutritionist, naturopath, and counselling.

Dr Behnia-Willison says women’s health beyond childbearing is a ‘forgotten area’, indicated by the fact that the largest proportion of funding allocated for women’s health goes to fertility treatment.

She says people are reluctant to talk about sexual intimacy but that it is important for women’s health, and especially that of older women, as it reduces the risk of stroke and heart disease, increases testosterone levels and improves sleep.

Her aim is to use surgery only when it is necessary. When it is, she uses noninvasive and minimally invasive treatments, regenerative medicine and surgical procedures, such as single-incision laparoscopic, scarless and robotic surgery.

As part of a second PhD she is developing a biodegradable graft that may help treat pelvic organ prolapse and incontinence, which affects 50% of women over 50.

‘Having won at the State of the Telstra Business Award finals, we have been able to gain traction in securing increased interest with our potential investors to bring this product to the commercial market, so it will be a cost-effective option for those millions of women experiencing prolapse symptoms, not just in Australia, but world-wide,’ she says.

Dr Behnia-Willison is also working to expand the Desert Flower South Australia Centre she founded alongside daughter Nadia Willison, and colleague Dr Tran Nguyen. The centre works with women who have experienced female genital mutilation as well as women transitioning and war victims with genital trauma.

‘People don’t realise that female genital mutilation occurs every 16 seconds and it is happening even here in Australia,’ she says.

Her dream is to expand Desert Flower nationally and to recruit a team of young specialists and establish FBW clinics in Iran and Vietnam.

She hopes the Telstra awards will inspire other women to work for change they believe in – particularly migrant women and those in her Iran who are fighting for social change.

‘I want to give back and inspire these women to work hard with kindness and tenacity,’ she says.