Patient–Physician Interactions Regarding Dyspareunia with Endometriosis: Online Survey Results

Kathyrn A. Witzeman, Antunez Flores O, Renzelli-Cain RI, Brett Worly, Moulder JK, Carrillo JF, Beth Schneider
In: Journal of Pain Research, Vol Volume 13, Pp 1579-1589 (2020) · 2020 · W4390090976
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An online survey found that women with endometriosis-related dyspareunia experience severe pain impacting their lives and often receive inadequate treatment from healthcare providers.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-13 · read from full text ⓘ

This study used an anonymous 24-question international online survey to characterize women aged 19–55 with self-identified endometriosis and painful sexual intercourse within the prior 2 years, focusing on dyspareunia experiences, life impacts, and patient–physician interactions. Among 638 completed responses (860 total; 74% completion), participants reported high dyspareunia severity (mean 7.4/10; 50% reporting 8–10), with 47% reporting pain lasting at least 24 hours post-intercourse; 34% reported avoiding and 29% stopping intercourse due to pain, and many reported substantial psychosocial and relationship impacts. Regarding healthcare interactions, 10% feared seeking help, and among those who approached practitioners, 36% reported not receiving effective treatment. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it specifically examines patient experiences and perceived clinician interactions related to endometriosis-associated dyspareunia.

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Abstract

Kathryn Witzeman,1 Oscar Antunez Flores,2 Roberta I Renzelli-Cain,3 Brett Worly,4 Janelle K Moulder,5 Jorge F Carrillo,6 Beth Schneider7 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA; 2AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; 6Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA; 7MyHealthTeams, San Francisco, CA, USACorrespondence: Kathryn WitzemanDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USATel +1 303-602-9725Email [email protected]: Dyspareunia can be a debilitating symptom of endometriosis. We performed this study to examine women’s experiences with painful sexual intercourse, the impact of dyspareunia on patients’ lives, and perceptions of interactions with healthcare practitioners.Methods: An anonymous 24-question online survey was provided through the social media network MyEndometriosisTeam.com and was available internationally to women aged 19– 55 years who were self-identified as having endometriosis and had painful sexual intercourse within the past 2 years.Results: From June 13 to August 20, 2018, 860 women responded and 638 women completed the survey (United States, n = 361; other countries, n = 277; 74% survey completion rate). Respondents reported high pain levels (mean score, 7.4 ± 1.86; severity scale of 0 [no pain] to 10 [worst imaginable pain]), with 50% reporting severe pain [score of 8 to 10]). Nearly half (47%) reported pain lasting ≥ 24 hours after intercourse with the pain often leading to avoiding (34%) or stopping (29%) intercourse. Pain impacted patients’ lives, causing depression (61%), anxiety (61%), low self-esteem (55%), and relationship strain. Many women feared to seek help (10%). Of those women who approached practitioners, many (36%) did not receive effective treatments.Discussion: Women with dyspareunia related to endometriosis experience severe pain that can negatively impact patients’ lives. Dyspareunia may be a challenging topic for discussion for both patient and practitioner, leading to a suboptimal treatment approach and management. Results suggest that practitioners need improved education and training regarding dyspareunia to evaluate and treat patients’ sexual pain caused by endometriosis.Keywords: dyspareunia, endometriosis, patient satisfaction  
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Journal of Pain Research (Jun 2020) Patient–Physician Interactions Regarding Dyspareunia with Endometriosis: Online Survey Results Abstract Kathryn Witzeman,1 Oscar Antunez Flores,2 Roberta I Renzelli-Cain,3 Brett Worly,4 Janelle K Moulder,5 Jorge F Carrillo,6 Beth Schneider7 1Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USA; 2AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA; 3Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV, USA; 4Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA; 5Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, USA; 6Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL, USA; 7MyHealthTeams, San Francisco, CA, USACorrespondence: Kathryn WitzemanDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Denver Health Medical Center, Denver, CO, USATel +1 303-602-9725Email [email protected]: Dyspareunia can be a debilitating symptom of endometriosis. We performed this study to examine women’s experiences with painful sexual intercourse, the impact of dyspareunia on patients’ lives, and perceptions of interactions with healthcare practitioners.Methods: An anonymous 24-question online survey was provided through the social media network MyEndometriosisTeam.com and was available internationally to women aged 19– 55 years who were self-identified as having endometriosis and had painful sexual intercourse within the past 2 years.Results: From June 13 to August 20, 2018, 860 women responded and 638 women completed the survey (United States, n = 361; other countries, n = 277; 74% survey completion rate). Respondents reported high pain levels (mean score, 7.4 ± 1.86; severity scale of 0 [no pain] to 10 [worst imaginable pain]), with 50% reporting severe pain [score of 8 to 10]). Nearly half (47%) reported pain lasting ≥ 24 hours after intercourse with the pain often leading to avoiding (34%) or stopping (29%) intercourse. Pain impacted patients’ lives, causing depression (61%), anxiety (61%), low self-esteem (55%), and relationship strain. Many women feared to seek help (10%). Of those women who approached practitioners, many (36%) did not receive effective treatments.Discussion: Women with dyspareunia related to endometriosis experience severe pain that can negatively impact patients’ lives. Dyspareunia may be a challenging topic for discussion for both patient and practitioner, leading to a suboptimal treatment approach and management. Results suggest that practitioners need improved education and training regarding dyspareunia to evaluate and treat patients’ sexual pain caused by endometriosis.Keywords: dyspareunia, endometriosis, patient satisfaction

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