The Experiences of Endometriosis Patients During Primary Healthcare Encounters: A Systematic Review of Qualitative Evidence

Sarah Harris, Selina Harris, Laila J. Tata, Nadeem Qureshi, Katie Read, Manpreet Bains
In: Women's Reproductive Health · 2025 · vol. 13(2) , pp. 346–359 · doi:10.1080/23293691.2025.2545308 · W4413397849
review OA: closed CC0 ⤵ 2 in-corpus citations
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-08 ⓘ

This systematic review of qualitative evidence synthesized 37 articles to explore endometriosis patients' experiences with primary healthcare, revealing common issues of symptom dismissal, delayed referrals, and a lack of professional knowledge.

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Abstract

Endometriosis affects 10% of those assigned-female-at-birth worldwide. Diagnosis typically takes between 5–12 years. This qualitative systematic review explored endometriosis patients’ experiences with primary healthcare professionals from presentation before diagnosis to post-diagnosis follow-up. Six electronic databases were searched: CINAHL, MEDLINE, Embase, PubMed, Scopus, and PsycINFO. A total of 37 articles were included and synthesized thematically. Findings showed common issues that patients were experiencing during their interactions with primary healthcare professionals, including dismissal regarding their symptoms, delayed referral to secondary care, and lack of knowledge regarding endometriosis. This review highlights a need for improved education and awareness surrounding endometriosis amongst primary healthcare professionals.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

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 (58)

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last seen: 2026-06-10T17:14:06.276822+00:00
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