Surgical and/or conservative treatment improves quality of life (EHP-30) in patients with endometriosis

Abstract

Summary: Aim: To investigate the quality of life of women with endometriosis before treatment and 3 months after the start of surgical and/or conservative treatment. Sample and methodology: The sample comprised of 38 patients, of whom 26 underwent surgical treatment, 6 had pharmacological treatment, and 6 had both surgical and pharmacological treatment. The Endometriosis Health Profile (EHP-30) questionnaire in the Czech version and the Numeric Rating Scale (NRS) were used to assess quality of life. The questionnaires were completed before treatment and 3 months into the treatment. Results and discussion: When comparing quality of life with the EHP-30 questionnaire, 3 months after the start of treatment, significantly better quality of life scores were found in all domains except the domain “Infertility.” Statistically significant improvement was observed in the domains of “Control and powerlessness,” “Emotional well-being,” and “Pain” (P < 0.0001). Pain assessment using NRS showed subjective improvement in pain during menstruation, outside menstruation, during intercourse, micturition, and defecation. Statistically significant improvement was reported in pain during menstruation and outside menstruation (P < 0.0001). Conclusion: Treatment of endometriosis improves the quality of life and also leads to a subjective reduction of pain intensity as one of the main symptoms of the disease. Key words: endometriosis – quality of life – EHP-30 – pain – Numeric Rating Scale – treatment