Endometriose – om noen bare kunne forstå

Endometriosisif only someone could understandResearch question: "How does suffering from endometriosis affect the quality of life, and how can the patient group best be taken care of?" Method:The chosen method is literature study.To find relevant research articles, we completed at systematic literature search in the following databases: Cinahl, MedLine, PsycInfo, SveMed+ and Cochrane Library.The included articles have been selected by specific inclusions-and exclusions criteria, and they were quality assured by using checklists from National Knowledge center for Health Service (2014).Results: Four research articles has been included.The women in the studies spoke about their lives being a constant struggle as a result of the unpredictable and stressful symptoms of endometriosis.The long-term pain is controlling their lives, and has a negative effect on their physical health, mental health, and also their relationships, working life and social life.The women expressed the lack of support and understanding from friends, family and health professionals.The results show that the women experienced that the health professionals did not have adequate knowledge of endometriosis, and that the health professionals underestimated their symptoms. Conclusion:Endometriosis has an huge negative impact on various aspects of the women's life.There is a need for both society and health professionals to start taking the symptoms of it far more seriously.Additionally, further knowledge and awareness regarding endometriosis in general can help recover optimal health and quality of life in women suffering from the condition.