Kvinnors erfarenheter av att leva med endometrios : En litteraturstudie

Sammanfattning: Background: Endometriosis is a chronic disease affecting about 176 million fertile women worldwide. Severe menstrual pain and pain during intercourse are the primary symptoms that characterizes the disease. It often takes a long time to get the diagnosis, the nurse should be responsive and identify the patient's needs. Aim: The aim of this literature study was to describe women's experiences of living with endometriosis and the included articles data collection methods. Method: Literature study with descriptive design. Data were collected through the databases PubMed and Cinahl, the result is built on eleven scholarly articles with qualitative and mixed designs. Main Results: The woman who lives with endometriosis experiences severe pain at different time at the menstrual cycle. The diagnosis could take up to several years for some women to receive, where a common occurrence for most of them were mistrust and normalization of the symptoms from the healthcare. Endometriosis has a major impact on women's everyday life where they are both mentally and socially affected by the disease. Most of the women used their own self-strategies as dietary changes to prevent the symptoms. The eleven scholarly articles in this study used different interview methods to collect the data. Conclusion: Endometriosis has a major negative impact on women's everyday life and relationships, the disease causes infertility and social constraints. Increased knowledge in society and in health care can contribute to reduced suffering in these women.