Approach to Pain in Endometriosis Patients: Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Background: Endometriosis is a gynecological, multifactorial condition that affects women’s life quality, especially due to the pain inherent to it. Pain is caused by physical and psychological aspects; therefore, several factors must be analyzed, aiming to treat the whole. Conventional, drug or surgical treatments are the most used; however, the search for alternative therapeutic methods is growing. Objective: To analyze the approach to pain in women with endometriosis, seeking a better understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms of this disease, its impact on life quality, as well as the means of treatments in use and innovations in this field. Methods: Systematic literature review, conducted in the Virtual Health Library databases between 2010 and 2021, restricted to articles in English and Portuguese with the descriptors: Endometriosis, Pain, and Treatment. After reading the abstracts, 197 articles were found, and, after reading them, 59 articles were selected. Results: This review analyzed 59 scientific studies that rigorously met the previously established characteristics in the sample selection. The synthesis included the following aspects: author/year of publication, article title, objective, type of study and database. Related factors such as acute or chronic pain, late diagnosis, discrediting symptomatic complaints and trivialization by health professionals have a profound impact on the physical and mental health of women with endometriosis. On the other hand, there are several classes of drugs, surgical procedures, and alternative therapies available for pain management. Conclusion: Given the context addressed, a certain need is suggested for health professionals to better understand the disease and adopt new behaviors or improve existing ones, such as reception, active listening, early diagnosis and comprehensive and individualized treatment. In addition, further studies are needed regarding alternative therapies, seeking to expand the scientific evidence of their benefits.