Self-management and psychological-sexological interventions in patients with endometriosis: strategies, outcomes, and integration into clinical care

Laura Buggio, Giussy Barbara, Giussy Barbàra, Federica Facchin, Maria Pina Frattaruolo, Giorgio Aimi, Nicola Berlanda
International journal of women's health · 2017 · vol. Volume 9 , pp. 281–293 · doi:10.2147/ijwh.s119724 · PMID:28496368 · PMC5422563 · W2610821501
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⚙ AI-generated summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This review examines evidence for self-management strategies like diet and exercise, and discusses integrating psychological and sexual therapies for endometriosis patients experiencing pain and reduced quality of life.

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⚙ AI-generated deep summary by claude@2026-06, 2026-06-07 ⓘ

This narrative review examines evidence on self-management strategies for endometriosis, focusing on lifestyle factors and complementary psychological and sexual interventions, drawing on searches of Medline and article references. It highlights that while adjunct approaches such as diet components (e.g., omega-3 intake), physical activity, and certain dietary patterns have been studied in relation to endometriosis risk or symptom burden, findings across studies can be variable and, in some areas, evidence is limited (a stated limitation noted for topics like gluten-free diet). It also reviews reported mental health and sexual-function impacts of endometriosis and discusses integrating psychotherapy and sexual therapy as part of a comprehensive care approach. This paper is centrally about endometriosis — it synthesizes evidence on complementary self-management and psychological-sexological interventions relevant to endometriosis symptoms, quality of life, and sexual health.

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Abstract

Endometriosis has a multifactorial etiology. The onset and progression of the disease are believed to be related to different pathogenic mechanisms. Among them, the environment and lifestyle may play significant roles. Diet, dietary supplements, physical exercise, osteopathy, massage, acupuncture, transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation, and Chinese herbal medicine may represent a complementary and feasible approach in the treatment of symptoms related to the disease. In this narrative review, we aimed to examine the most updated evidence on these alternative approaches implicated in the self-management of the disease. In addition, several studies have demonstrated that endometriosis may negatively impact mental health and quality of life, suggesting that affected women may have an increased risk of developing psychological suffering as well as sexual problems due to the presence of pain. In light of these findings, we discuss the importance of integrating psychological interventions (including psychotherapy) and sexual therapy in endometriosis treatment.

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Condition tags

endometriosis

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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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