Managing the physical and emotional effects of endometriosis

Endometriosis patients need a supportive approach due to the physical and emotional effects of the disease.

Key Points

Highlights:

• Women with endometriosis should be encouraged for accurate diagnosis and treatment to improve their quality of life.

Importance:

• Women with endometriosis will be easier to cope with the disease if they had a supportive and empathetic relationship.

What’s done here?

• This editorial was penned to emphasize the importance of supportive approach of the partners for the improvement of patients with endometriosis.
• Several studies from the literature were included to show this important relationship.
• Patients should be supported to consult expert clinicians on endometriosis both for accurate diagnosis and treatment.

Key results:

• Endometriosis is associated with dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain and infertility resulting in decreased quality of life.
• The patients with endometriosis may be stigmatized by their partners due to their experiences about the disease.
• Low levels of optimism in these women who feel responsible themselves, prolongs the process to reach correct diagnosis and management.
• Supportive approach by their relatives and clinicians leads them to gain more benefit from medical and surgical treatment.

Lay Summary

Endometriosis is known to affect 5-10% of the general population, but some women are underdiagnosed due to physical and psychological disability. Due to the symptoms including dysmenorrhea, dyspareunia, chronic pelvic pain and infertility, endometriosis has a negative effect on the quality of life.

The social life of women with endometriosis is disrupted during their menstrual periods. As a result, the patients with endometriosis may also be stigmatized by their partners due to the experiences about the disease.

The supportive approach of the woman's partner and close relatives is very important in the diagnostic process of endometriosis. Additionally, low levels of optimism in women with endometriosis make themselves feel responsible, and this further prolongs the process to reach correct diagnosis and management.

Quinlivan and Lambregtse-van den Berg from Australia and The Netherlands, published an editorial titled “Managing the stigma and women’s physical and emotional cost of endometriosis” in the "Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology". Authors aimed to emphasize the importance of supportive approach by the partners of endometriosis for the improvement of their disease.

If endometriosis patients with menstrual pain and associated symptoms seek care to receive an accurate diagnosis and treatment, they gain more benefit from medical and surgical treatment. There are several management options to suppress endometriotic lesions and prevent new lesion formation. If the patients with endometriosis have low levels of optimism, the process to reach correct diagnosis and management has to take a longer time.  Psychological support is another approach that improves the quality of life in these women.

“A supportive and empathetic relationship with a partner, it can improve relationship satisfaction and emotional intimacy.” the authors added.

Research Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33657980/