Endometriosis Essay

Introduction Identified as a ‘chronic gynaecological disorder,’ (Giudice and Kao, 2004, p. 1789) endometriosis occurs, mostly found in the pelvic region, when tissue similar to the lining of the uterus (the endometrium) is found outside the uterus where it shouldn’t be, tissue appears to be red, inflamed and may form nodules and cysts (Endometriosis New Zealand [ENZ], 2015). As Endometriosis New Zealand (2015) estimates at least 120,000 girls and women have endometriosis in New Zealand and about 176 million women worldwide, the development of effective education, diagnosis and support for women with endometriosis is an important area of research. However, endometriosis is an underdiagnosed enduring disease, the average time amid onset of symptoms and diagnosis is between eight to ten years (Moradi, Parker, Sneddon, Lopez, and Ellwood, 2014). In this time many young women’s quality of life is affected by pain, the emotional impact of sub-fertility, anger about disease recurrence, and uncertainty about the future regarding repeated operations for medical therapy. Using interview-based studies, this thematic analysis seeks to answer the question How do young women experience endometriosis? Sub-themes are identified by categorising the interview quotes, then clustering them …show more content…
(2014) states that “delay between the start of symptoms until diagnosis ranged from three months to 24 years with an average of 8.1years” (p. 4). This is an important factor in an adolescent’s life as it can impact their psychological well-being. Having to cope unknowingly with a chronic illness effects self-esteem, self confidence and ultimately can create the feeling of lack of control in their life. Many experienced frustration as they were constantly turned away from medical professionals, family and friends because they were misunderstood and did not have a reason to their