Clinicians’ perceptions of women's experiences of endometriosis and of psychosocial care for endometriosis

Kate Young, Jane Fisher, Maggie Kirkman
The Australian & New Zealand journal of obstetrics & gynaecology · 2017 · vol. 57(1) , pp. 87–92 · doi:10.1111/ajo.12571 · PMID:28251627 · W2594424120
article OA: bronze CC0 ⤵ 29 in-corpus citations
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View on PubMed View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

Clinicians recognized women's infertility experiences with endometriosis but less so its impact on work and relationships, with most feeling inadequately trained for psychosocial care.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Endometriosis is a complex, chronic condition with known psychological and social implications for women. Little is known about clinicians' perceptions of the psychosocial aspects of endometriosis and associated care. AIM: To describe clinicians' perceptions of women's experiences of living with endometriosis and of the provision of psychosocial care for endometriosis. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A qualitative approach was taken using semi-structured interviews with eight gynaecologists and four general practitioners who provide care to women with endometriosis in Victoria, conducted by telephone and in person from June to December 2014. RESULTS: Clinicians' perceptions of women's experiences of endometriosis were consistent with those reported by women, particularly when discussing potential infertility. However, less comprehensive descriptions of the effects of endometriosis on women's work and social life and intimate relationships were observed. Some clinicians asserted that endometriosis is caused by poor mental health. General practitioners positioned themselves as best placed to provide psychosocial care to women with endometriosis; gynaecologists suggested various potential providers but rarely themselves. Most clinicians assessed themselves as not being adequately trained to understand and provide care for the psychosocial aspects of endometriosis; half of the gynaecologists did not believe it was necessary for them to do so. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this research demonstrate clinicians' need for further support in the provision of psychosocial care for women with endometriosis, potentially through expanded clinical guidelines and professional development opportunities.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Attitude of Health Personnel Endometriosis General Practice General Practice Gynecology Gynecology Mental Health Employment Endometriosis Endometriosis Endometriosis Female Humans Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Infertility, Female Interpersonal Relations Interviews as Topic Male Perception

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 (28)

Cited by (29)

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-06-11T06:19:48.454388+00:00
openalex
last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
pubmed
last seen: 2026-05-13T22:20:37.704673+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK