Effect of Endometriosis on Disease-Specific Quality of Life

To evaluate disease-specific quality of life (QOL) in women with endometriosis and assess concurrent validity of the Endometriosis Impact Questionnaire (EIQ).

Observational, cross-sectional design.

Online survey.

Women ages 18 to 49 years who self-reported a diagnosis of endometriosis.

Disease-specific QOL was measured with the EIQ and the Endometriosis Health Profile-5 (EHP-5). Health-related QOL was measured with two WHOQOL-BREF questions.

There were 413 participants with complete data included in the analysis. Mean (SD) age at participation was 33.9 (7.1) years and at diagnosis was 28.9 (7.0) years. Responses to the EIQ demonstrated that endometriosis had the greatest effect on QOL through physical-psychosocial symptoms and fertility problems. Lifestyle behaviors related to alcohol and tobacco use were the least affected by endometriosis. Scores on the EHP-5 demonstrated similar results, with social support, self-image, and feelings of control being most impacted. Health-related QOL was also found to be impaired. Participants rated their overall QOL as neither poor nor good and their overall satisfaction with their health as dissatisfied. Concurrent validity for the EIQ was acceptable. Women who reported worse disease-specific QOL on the EIQ also had worse disease-specific QOL on the EHP-5 (p ˂ .01) and worse health-related QOL on the WHOQOL-BREF questions (p ˂ .01).

Endometriosis significantly impairs disease-specific QOL in addition to general health-related QOL. The EIQ is a valid measure of disease-specific QOL and can be used to assess the impact of endometriosis on the multiple dimensions of women's lives. It is recommended that providers use this tool to obtain a more in-depth understanding of the effect on QOL and tailor patient-specific care that targets the multidimensions of endometriosis.