Popularity of endocrine endometriosis drugs and limited alternatives in the present and foreseeable future: A survey among 1420 affected women

Laurin Burla, Dimitrios Rafail Kalaitzopoulos, Julian Matthias Metzler, David Scheiner, Patrick Imesch
European journal of obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive biology · 2021 · vol. 262 , pp. 232–238 · doi:10.1016/j.ejogrb.2021.05.040 · PMID:34091158 · W3169311265
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This survey of 1420 women with endometriosis found significant dissatisfaction and negative perceptions regarding endocrine therapies, primarily due to side effects, with younger, urban, and educated women reporting greater wariness.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Endocrine drugs represent an important cornerstone of endometriosis therapy. Pharmaceutical alternatives with similar efficacy remain out of sight in the near future. Aim of this study is to investigate attitudes and perceptions concerning endocrine therapies among affected women. STUDY DESIGN: An online survey was distributed via social media in Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Primary endpoints were satisfaction, attitudes and perceptions towards endocrine endometriosis drugs and secondary outcomes differences regarding demographic variables. RESULTS: Of 1420 respondents, 63.5 % (n = 901) described their own attitude towards these drugs as rather negative. The most frequently reported unfavorable associations and experiences were sideeffects in general (85.5 %, n = 1181), change in libido (67.5 %, n = 932), hormone cycle disruptions (65.9 %, n = 910), and inefficiency at alleviating symptoms (38.2 %, n = 527). In total, 66.1 % (n = 935) were not satisfied with endocrine drugs for endometriosis. Age ≤ 30 years, living in a large city, and having an academic degree were significantly correlated to a more negative perception of these drugs and greater dissatisfaction with current endocrine endometriosis drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Among women with endometriosis - and particularly among those aged ≤30 years, being large-city residents, or holding an academic degree - there appears to be a relevant degree of rejection and wariness towards endocrine endometriosis drugs. Given the prevalence of endometriosis and the few pharmaceutical alternatives on the horizon, these data point a growing need for further research and development of non-hormonal drugs for the treatment of endometriosis.

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Condition tags

mesh:D004715endometriosis

MeSH descriptors

Endometriosis Pharmaceutical Preparations Adult Austria Female Germany Humans Surveys and Questionnaires Switzerland

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 (41)

Cited by (26)

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