Abstract
Endometriosis impairs the quality of life (QoL) of many women, including their social relationships, daily activity, productivity at work, and family planning. The aim of this review was to determine the instruments used to examine QoL in previous clinical studies of endometriosis and to evaluate the effect of medical and surgical interventions for endometriosis on QoL. We conducted a systematic search and review of studies published between January 2010 and December 2020 using MEDLINE. Search terms included “endometriosis” and “quality of life.” We only selected studies that used a standardized questionnaire to evaluate QoL before and after medical or surgical interventions. Only articles in the English language were examined. The initial search identified 720 results. After excluding duplicates and applying inclusion criteria, 37 studies were selected for analysis. We found that the two scales most frequently used to measure QoL were the Short Form-36 health survey questionnaire (SF-36) and the Endometriosis Health Profile-30 (EHP-30). Many medical and surgical treatments demonstrated comparable benefits in pain control and QoL improvement. There is no clear answer as to what is the best treatment for improving QoL because each therapy must be personalized for the patient and depends on the woman’s goals. In conclusion, women must be informed about endometriosis and given easily accessible information to improve treatment adherence and their QoL.
Highlights
Endometriosis is a benign chronic disease caused by the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue, which reacts to changes in ovarian steroids by differentiation, proliferation, and bleeding [1, 2]
Surgical management may be necessary for patients who do not respond to medical therapy and have important severe symptoms [8, 25]
The remaining 19 studies aimed to evaluate the impact of surgical treatment upon quality of life (QoL) in endometriosis [64–82]
Summary
Endometriosis is a benign chronic disease caused by the presence of ectopic endometrial tissue, which reacts to changes in ovarian steroids by differentiation, proliferation, and bleeding [1, 2]. It occurs principally during one’s reproductive age, most commonly between the ages of 25 and 35 [3, 4]. Recent literature has shown that many factors contribute to the etiopathogenesis of endometriosis: D’Alterio et al Gynecological Surgery (2021) 18:13 be effective, resulting in improved symptoms. Surgical management may be necessary for patients who do not respond to medical therapy and have important severe symptoms (such as hydronephrosis caused by ureteral stenosis or intestinal obstruction) [8, 25]. The aim is to completely remove the pathology, obtain good long-term results regarding pain relief and recurrence rates, and respect the functional anatomy of the organs involved [25–27]
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