Navigating stigma before and after an endometriosis diagnosis: A qualitative study on medical stigma and healthcare-seeking behavior with endometriosis in a German sample

Sarah Eitze, Sophia Rose, Sabine Best
In: Health Psychology Open · 2026 · vol. 13 · doi:10.1177/20551029261469234 · W7223694596
Qualitative OA: gold CC0
🔓 Open OA copy View on OpenAlex View at publisher
⚙ AI-generated summary by qwen3.7-flash, 2026-10-28 ⓘ

Qualitative interviews with German women reveal that medical stigma erodes trust and delays care, while diagnosis brings mixed validation and distress, highlighting the need for empathetic healthcare communication.

One-sentence paraphrase of the abstract; not a substitute for reading it. No clinical advice. How this works

Abstract

Endometriosis is a chronic and often misunderstood condition that exposes affected individuals to public stigma. This qualitative interview study explored how experienced public stigma by healthcare experts shapes women’s self-stigma before and after diagnosis and if women change health behaviors after public stigma was experienced and/or self stigma developed. In-depth interviews were conducted with recently diagnosed participants, focusing on public and self-stigma and their impact on health behaviors. Findings show that early and repeated exposure to stigma eroded trust in medical professionals, led to withdrawal from care, and fostered hyper-independence. Receiving a diagnosis provided both validation and emotional strain—strengthening self-confidence for some, while reinforcing distress for others. The study underscores the need for improved awareness and stigma-sensitive communication in healthcare to foster patient-centered, empathetic support and better outcomes for individuals with endometriosis.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

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 (54)

Source provenance

openalex
last seen: 2026-10-30T06:01:36.263981+00:00
License: CC0 · commercial use OK