REVIEW  MULTIDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT OF ENDOMETRIOSIS 

Minerva Medica 2020 February;111(1):68-78

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4806.19.06298-0

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Quality of life in women with endometriosis: a narrative overview

Valentina Lucia LA ROSA ¹ ✉, Pasquale DE FRANCISCIS ², Fabio BARRA ^{3, 4}, Antonio SCHIATTARELLA ², Péter TÖRÖK ⁵, Mohsin SHAH ⁶, Erbil KARAMAN ⁷, Tais MARQUES CERENTINI ⁸, Federica DI GUARDO ⁹, Giuseppe GULLO ¹⁰, Marco PONTA ¹¹, Simone FERRERO ^{3, 4}

¹ Unit of Psychodiagnostics and Clinical Psychology, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; ² Department of Woman, Child and General and Specialized Surgery, Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania, Naples, Italy; ³ Department of Neurosciences, Rehabilitation, Ophthalmology, Genetics, Maternal and Child Health (DiNOGMI), University of Genoa, Genoa, Italy; ⁴ Academic Unit of Obstetrics and Gynecology, San Martino University Hospital IRCCS, Genoa, Italy; ⁵ Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Debrecen, Debrecen, Hungary; ⁶ Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan; ⁷ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yuzuncu Yıl University, Van, Turkey; ⁸ Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil; ⁹ Department of General Surgery and Medical Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy; ¹⁰ AOOR Villa Sofia Cervello, IVF Public Center, Palermo, Italy; ¹¹ Department of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, Federico II University, Naples, Italy

Endometriosis is a very complex condition and has a significant impact on the quality of life, psychological wellbeing and interpersonal relationships of affected women. Endometriosis symptoms progressively impair the woman’s ability to carry out some daily activities and result in a perception of worsening health status and overall well-being. The impact of these symptoms has been only partially investigated, and further studies and clinical insights are needed to fully understand the extent of this condition. It has been shown that endometriosis is associated with considerable direct and indirect costs, comparable to those of major worldwide chronic diseases such as diabetes. In addition, endometriosis-related symptoms substantially interfere with the employment of affected women, resulting in many cases in several working days missed. In this scenario, the aim of this narrative review is to provide a general overview of the psychological and social impact of this disease, as well as the effects of different therapeutic options, on quality of life and general well-being.

KEY WORDS: Endometriosis; Therapeutics; Quality of life; Psychology; Anxiety; Depression