Age-Related Differences in Quality of Life in Swedish Women with Endometriosis

Abstract Objective: The purpose of this observational study was to evaluate the impact of endometriosis on quality of life (QoL) in different age groups of Swedish women with endometriosis. Recruitment occurred through the Endometriosis Association (Sweden) (n = 400) and five gynecology departments of five Swedish hospitals (n = 400). All voluntary female members of the patient organization and patients attending specialist clinics due to endometriosis (n = 800) were invited by sending them a questionnaire. An age- and gender-matched sample of the general Swedish population was used as a control group when analyzing SF-36 data. Methods: A postal questionnaire (including SF-36) was distributed to 800 women. The questionnaire was evaluated by using descriptive statistics, and SF-36 was evaluated according to standard methods. Results: Of the 449 (56%) self-administered questionnaires returned, 431 (96%) contained evaluable answers. Women with endometriosis have significantly lower SF-36 scores than the gene...