Self-management techniques used by New Zealand individuals with symptoms of endometriosis: A qualitative study

Endometriosis is a prevalent gynaecological condition that affects 190 million female born individuals. Endometriosis affects approximately 120,000 New Zealanders, or one in ten female-born individuals. Surgery, hormonal contraception, and analgesics are the conventional medical treatment for endometriosis symptoms. Individuals with endometriosis symptoms seek self-management because the medical treatment is not always successful. \n \nThis study aims to identify the self-management approaches utilised by individuals with endometriosis symptoms in New Zealand and to understand the characteristics that influence self-management accessibility. Due to the lack of consensus among medical professionals regarding the definition of self-management and self-care, this study defined self-management based on the participants' experiences. \n \nThis thesis consists of three parts. The initial part is divided into three sections. The FIRST SECTION presents a literature review on endometriosis and details its types, symptoms, epidemiology, medical treatment, diagnosis, and pathophysiology theories. Lack of understanding of the pathophysiology of endometriosis may have an impact on the necessary diagnostic and medical treatment. The literature on self care and self-management, as well as the facilitators and barriers that hinder individuals from accessing various forms of self-management is then reviewed. The first section concludes with a recent Australian study on endometriosis self management. However, the Australian study did not aim to investigate the experience of the individuals living with endometriosis symptoms. \n \nMethodology and methods are explained in the SECOND SECTION. This section begins with a comparison of quantitative and qualitative research methods. This section explains the qualitative framework and how rigour was addressed in this study; in addition, the implementation of this framework was explained in the methods section. This section finishes with an explanation of the procedure for participant recruitment, data collection via semi-structured interviews, inclusion criteria, data analysis, and ethical considerations. \n \nThe THIRD SECTION provides a detailed account of the study's findings and identifies the major themes and subthemes that emerged from data analysis. The findings section of the thesis includes many quotations that capture the experience and emotion of the participants' with the purpose of allowing the participants’ to feel heard. \n \nThe second part of the research includes a manuscript for submission to the Journal of Women's Health in accordance with their requirements. For this part of the thesis, the findings of the manuscript were condensed to fulfil the provided guidelines, while ensuring that the participants' experiences could be heard. \n \nThe third part consists of the appendices, which include the participant recruitment poster, interview question pilot, participant consent form, participant information, safety contacts, process of theme development, and qualitative research checklist.