Women Affected by Endometriosis: Their Anxieties and Coping Methods

Handan Özcan, Dilek Bilgiç, Enzel Köksaldi
Journal of evaluation in clinical practice · 2025 · vol. 31(5) , pp. e70198 · doi:10.1111/jep.70198 · PMID:40831088 · W4413361765
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This qualitative study explored the emotions, anxieties, and coping strategies of 16 women diagnosed with endometriosis, identifying themes related to diagnosis, disease impact, and management.

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This qualitative phenomenological study investigated the psychological experiences and coping mechanisms of sixteen women diagnosed with endometriosis. The researchers identified key themes including emotional reactions at diagnosis, specific anxieties regarding fertility and chronic pain, and various strategies such as seeking information or accepting the condition. The findings highlight that patients often face significant distress due to delayed diagnosis and lack of information, necessitating better social and psychological support systems. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — specifically focusing on the psychosocial impact and patient-reported anxiety levels associated with the disease.

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Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine the anxieties and coping methods of women diagnosed with endometriosis. METHODS: This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. Sixteen women diagnosed with endometriosis were selected through criterion sampling. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis. RESULTS: The mean age of the participants was 32.62 ± 7.42 years, the mean age at diagnosis was 27.50 ± 6.87 years, and the mean age at symptom onset was 22.37 ± 8.13 years. Only four women had heard of endometriosis prior to diagnosis. All married participants who wished to conceive (n = 7) were diagnosed with infertility. Three main themes and nine sub-themes were identified: i. Emotions at the time of diagnosis (fear, anxiety, sadness, feeling bad, surprise, relief, numbness, feeling incomplete, and depression); ii. Anxieties related to endometriosis (pregnancy, chronic pain, inability to cope, ovarian damage, medication side effects, delayed diagnosis, lack of information, cyst rupture, and fear of inheritance by children); iii. Coping strategies (researching, avoidance, changing physicians, psychological support, regular check-ups, acceptance/giving up, family support, positive thinking, and oocyte freezing). CONCLUSION: Due to the long-term nature of endometriosis treatment and follow-up, it is essential to closely monitor women and provide social and psychological support. Increasing awareness among the general public and health professionals, organizing educational activities, and promoting interinstitutional cooperation are recommended.
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Abstract

Objective This study aimed to determine the anxieties and coping methods of women diagnosed with endometriosis.

Methods

This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. Sixteen women diagnosed with endometriosis were selected through criterion sampling. Data were analyzed using inductive analysis.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 32.62 ± 7.42 years, the mean age at diagnosis was 27.50 ± 6.87 years, and the mean age at symptom onset was 22.37 ± 8.13 years. Only four women had heard of endometriosis prior to diagnosis. All married participants who wished to conceive (n = 7) were diagnosed with infertility. Three main themes and nine sub-themes were identified: i. Emotions at the time of diagnosis (fear, anxiety, sadness, feeling bad, surprise, relief, numbness, feeling incomplete, and depression); ii. Anxieties related to endometriosis (pregnancy, chronic pain, inability to cope, ovarian damage, medication side effects, delayed diagnosis, lack of information, cyst rupture, and fear of inheritance by children); iii. Coping strategies (researching, avoidance, changing physicians, psychological support, regular check-ups, acceptance/giving up, family support, positive thinking, and oocyte freezing).

Conclusion

Due to the long-term nature of endometriosis treatment and follow-up, it is essential to closely monitor women and provide social and psychological support. Increasing awareness among the general public and health professionals, organizing educational activities, and promoting interinstitutional cooperation are recommended. Conflicts of Interest The authors declare no conflicts of interest. Data Availability Statement The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. The data used in this study have been recorded, analyzed, and stored in the SPSS.

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Condition tags

endometriosisinfertility

MeSH descriptors

Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological Adaptation, Psychological

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.

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