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REVIEW  MULTIDISCIPLINARY MANAGEMENT OF ENDOMETRIOSIS 

Minerva Medica 2020 February;111(1):79-89

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4806.19.06299-2

Copyright © 2019 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

Sexuality in women with endometriosis: a critical narrative review

Valentina Lucia LA ROSA 1 , Pasquale DE FRANCISCIS 2, Fabio BARRA 3, 4, Antonio SCHIATTARELLA 2, Alessandro TROPEA 5, Jan TESARIK 6, Mohsin SHAH 7, Ilker KAHRAMANOGLU 8, Tais MARQUES CERENTINI 9, Marco PONTA 10, 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, University of Campania "Luigi Vanvitelli", 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, IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy; 5 Department for the Treatment and Study of Abdominal Diseases and Abdominal Transplantation, IRCCS-ISMETT (Istituto Mediterraneo per i Trapianti e Terapie ad Alta Specializzazione), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Palermo, Italy; 6 MARGen Clinic, Granada, Spain; 7 Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Medical Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan; 8 Division of Gynecologic Oncology, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, İstanbul University Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine, İstanbul, Turkey; 9 Federal University of Health Sciences of Porto Alegre (UFCSPA), Porto Alegre, Brazil; 10 Department of Neurosciences and Reproductive and Odontostomatological Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy



Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease that generally affects young and sexually active women in different stages of their development and sexual life. Because endometriosis affects about 5-10% of women in reproductive age, it is possible to estimate that about 2-4% of those who are sexually active may suffer from sexual dysfunction caused by this disease. Surgical and pharmacological treatments of endometriosis can improve the patient’s sexual function in the medium and long term, but not necessarily lead to a definitive resolution of the sexual issue. For this reason, the ideal treatment should be conducted by a multidisciplinary team, with the aim to improve overall sexual functioning and not only to reduce the painful symptoms during intercourse. In light of these considerations, the aim of this narrative review was to provide a general overview about the impact of endometriosis on sexuality of women affected and the effectiveness of surgical and pharmacological treatments in improving sexual function.


KEY WORDS: Endometriosis; Sexuality; Sexual dysfunction, physiological; Pain; Therapeutics

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