Medical and psychosocial influences on quality of life in endometriosis: A holistic narrative review

Katharina Helgerth, Astrid Schütz
In: Journal of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Disorders · 2026 · doi:10.1177/22840265251411717 · W7125604399
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-06 ⓘ

This review integrates medical and psychosocial factors affecting quality of life in endometriosis, finding that chronic pain, infertility, and psychological distress significantly impair well-being, necessitating a holistic care approach.

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Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological condition with profound consequences. Despite increasing research, studies on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) in endometriosis remain fragmented, often neglecting the interplay between medical and psychosocial aspects. This narrative review aims to provide an integrated perspective on the medical and psychosocial factors influencing HRQoL in individuals with endometriosis. A comprehensive literature search identified peer-reviewed studies examining both qualitative and quantitative research. Medical aspects such as chronic pain, dysmenorrhea, infertility, dyspareunia, fatigue, and treatment side effects were strongly associated with reduced HRQoL. Psychosocial aspects included depression, anxiety, self-esteem, body-image, coping strategies, illness perceptions, and social and work-related challenges. Treatment-related aspects, including diagnostic delay and patient-centered care, emerged as important factors associated with HRQoL. The findings highlight the necessity of a holistic approach to improve patients’ HRQoL. However, research on the implementation and effectiveness of such approaches remains scarce. Future research should prioritize adolescents, longitudinal designs, and integrative analytic frameworks to better capture both short and long-term effects of the complex interactions between medical and psychosocial factors relevant to HRQoL in those affected.

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Condition tags

endometriosisdysmenorrheadyspareuniainfertility

Citation neighborhood

Papers in the corpus that this work cites (lower rings, blue) and that cite this one (upper rings, green). Dot size scales with the paper's in-corpus citation count — bigger dot = more influential within the endo/adeno field. Click a dot to open that paper. [ expand to 2 hops ] — adds papers reached through this work's immediate citers/citees. Heavier; up to 60 extra dots.

References (73)

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last seen: 2026-06-04T00:00:01.174412+00:00
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