Impacts of Uterine Leiomyomata on Women’s Quality of Life
Journal Title: Interventions in Gynaecology and Women’s Healthcare - Year 2018, Vol 2, Issue 3
Abstract
Background: Most women with Uterine Leiomyomata (UL) attribute various negative experiences in their lifetime to symptoms related to UL such as: abnormal uterine bleeding, various pressure symptoms and pelvic pain. Most of the research on UL examined the efficacy of treatment modalities, but only few researchers have addressed the impact of the disease on the women’s Health- Related Quality of Life (HRQL). Methods: This is a descriptive, prospective, hospital-based qualitative study. The data was collected by: Focus Group (FG) interviews and by structured questionnaire. 200 women with symptomatic UL were recruited over a period of 6 months. The data was analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) data analysis tool, Version 20. Results: The majority of women (98%) graded their symptoms as moderate or severe. The mostly affected group are those in the reproductive age (20 to 39 years). 69% of the employed women claimed that the disease has affected their work and 55% of them reported UL as a reason for their absence from work. 27.2% of all women think that the disease has moderately restricted their social and physical activities, whereas 66.4% think the impact on their work is severe. 28.3% of all women think that their sexual life was moderately dysfunctional because of the disease and 52.2% think the effect was severe. 36.8% and 61.6% of all women reported moderate to severe psychological concerns respectively, such as: the sensation of fear, feeling of unfairness, and discouragement. Conclusions: Uterine leiomyomata are a common health concern for women in the child-bearing age. Symptomatic UL has apparently a negative impact on: women HRQL, sexual and social lives and it appears to affect their work performance. There is no significant correlation between the women symptoms and type of employment; however, the study is suggestive of a possible positive correlation between the women severity of symptoms and: social activities, energy, mood, sense of control, and sexual function. Uterine Leiomyoma (UL) is the most prevalent benigngynecological tumor in the female population. The tumor originates from the smooth muscle of the myometrium [1-3]. As many as 1 in 5 women in child-bearing age may have UL, and between 20 to 80% of all women may have the tumor by the age of 50 [4]. It seems that UL is more common in black than white Caucasian women [5,6]. The exact a etiology of UL is unknown, but there is considerable evidence that it might be due to a combination of factors, such as: hormonal, environmental, chromosomal, genetic drivers, cellular modulation, and phenotypical changes [7-9,2,10,11]. The UL have different sizes, locations and growth pattern and it may attain enough volume to significantly distort the uterine cavity and endometrial surface and affect the menstrual flow [12,13]. It may also affect reproductive outcomes and may be associated with pregnancy loss, preterm birth, dystocia and fetal malpresentation [14-17].
Authors and Affiliations
Marwa Mohamed Awad Allah, Faisal Mohammed Salih Basama, Amir Elnahas, Ameer Osman Abaker
Keywords
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- EP ID EP574519
- DOI 10.32474/IGWHC.2018.02.000139
- Views 75
- Downloads 0
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