Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 May;8(3):1275-1282.
doi: 10.1002/nop2.744. Epub 2020 Dec 22.

Exploring the impact of endometriosis on women's lives: A qualitative study in Iran

Masoumeh Namazi  1 , Zahra Behboodi Moghadam  1 , Armin Zareiyan  2 , Mina Jafarabadi  3
Affiliations

Exploring the impact of endometriosis on women's lives: A qualitative study in Iran

Masoumeh Namazi et al. Nurs Open. 2021 May.

Abstract

Aim: Considering the wide impact of endometriosis on various aspects of health, this study aimed to explore the impact of endometriosis on Iranian women's lives.

Design: The present study used a qualitative approach and conventional content analysis.

Methods: Twenty patients suffering from endometriosis referring to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran took part in this study. The sampling was done purposefully until data saturation. After deep semi-structured interviews, the content analysis of the interviews was done according to the steps proposed by Zhang and Wildemuth.

Results: The mean age of the participants was 34.53 (SD: 5.81) years (range: 23-43) with duration of illness of 6.30 ± 5.86 years. Their educational level varied from high school to university, and most of them were employed. Analysis of the data from participants' experiences led to the formation of 5 categories under the titles "Physical suffering, instability of marital life, mental disorder, disruption in social life and self-care" and 11 subcategories.

Conclusion: The findings of the present study showed that endometriosis can adversely affect women's lives including physical, sexual, psychological and social problems. Although in some cases patients adopt different strategies for self-care, the need for more support is felt.

Keywords: Iranian women; endometriosis; health; life experience; nurses; nursing; qualitative study.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

References

    1. Ameratunga, D. , Flemming, T. , Angstetra, D. , Ng, S. K. , & Sneddon, A. (2017). Exploring the impact of endometriosis on partners. Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology Research, 43(6), 1048–1053. 10.1111/jog.13325 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ballard, K. , Lowton, K. , & Wright, J. (2006). What’s the delay? A qualitative study of women’s experiences of reaching a diagnosis of endometriosis. Fertility and Sterility, 86(5), 1296–1301. 10.1016/j.fertnstert.2006.04.054 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barbara, G. , Facchin, F. , Meschia, M. , Berlanda, N. , Frattaruolo, M. P. , & VercellinI, P. (2017). When love hurts. A systematic review on the effects of surgical and pharmacological treatments for endometriosis on female sexual functioning. Acta Obstetricia Et Gynecologica Scandinavica, 96(6), 668–687. - PubMed
    1. Bitzer, J. (2011). Psychosomatic aspects of endometriosis. Journal of Endometriosis, 3(3), 166–170.
    1. Burkman, R. T. (2012). Berek & Novak’s gynecology. JAMA, 308(5), 516–517.