Endometriosis: Does Surgery Offer Long-Term Improvement in Quality of Life?. Issue 2 (April 2014)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Farfaras, Athanasios; Pierrakos, George; Pateras, Ioannis; Skolarikos, Panagiotis; Wen, Shi-Wu; Sarris, Markos
• Is Part Of: Journal of endometriosis and pelvic pain disorders. Volume 6:Issue 2(2014)
• Page Start: 106
• Page End: 111
• Publication Date: 2014-04
• Subjects: Endometriosis -- Physical and mental health -- Quality of life -- SF-36 -- Surgical management; Endometriosis -- Periodicals; Pelvic pain -- Periodicals; 618.1
• DOI: 10.5301/je.5000187
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2284-0265

Abstract

Introduction: Endometriosis is a common, estrogen-dependent, benign disease that affects women of reproductive age. Endometriosis frequently presents with pain and can result in infertility. The symptoms of the disease have a negative impact on physical and mental aspects of life, contribute to reduction of social contacts and lead to a significant reduction in quality of life. In this study, we investigated quality of life of patients with endometriosis. Moreover, we examined whether surgical management could be beneficial for those patients in terms of improving quality of life. Material and methods: In this prospective study, we included patients undergoing gynecological operations due to endometriosis-associated problems between 2008 and 2014. All patients were assessed preoperatively and 30 months postoperatively. The survey form chosen to achieve the aims of the study was the Greek version of SF-36. Results: The results showed that both physical and mental health were highly compromised in patients affected by endometriosis, and surgical management significantly improved patients' quality of life, as all of the SF-36 scores were higher postoperatively (p<0.05). Discussion: Endometriosis represents an important medical problem in women, with a high impact on their quality of life, and surgical management can reverse the impact of endometriosis on patients' health and restore their quality of life.