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Obstetrics and gynaecology
Research
Does endometriosis affect professional life? A matched case-control study in Switzerland, Germany and Austria
  1. Marita Lina Sperschneider1,2,
  2. Michael P Hengartner3,
  3. Alexandra Kohl-Schwartz1,4,
  4. Kirsten Geraedts1,
  5. Martina Rauchfuss5,
  6. Monika Martina Woelfler6,
  7. Felix Haeberlin7,
  8. Stephanie von Orelli8,
  9. Markus Eberhard2,
  10. Franziska Maurer9,
  11. Bruno Imthurn1,
  12. Patrick Imesch10,
  13. Brigitte Leeners1
  1. 1 Department of Reproductive Endocrinology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  2. 2 Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Canton Hospital Schaffhausen, Schaffhausen, Switzerland
  3. 3 Department of Applied Psychology, Zurich University of Applied Sciences, Zurich, Switzerland
  4. 4 Division of Gynecological Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, University Women’s Hospital, Bern, Switzerland
  5. 5 Department of Psychosomatics, Charité Berlin, Berlin, Germany
  6. 6 Department of Gynaecology, Endocrinology and Reproductive Medicine, Medical University Graz, Graz, Austria
  7. 7 Department of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, Canton Hospital St. Gallen, St. Gallen, Switzerland
  8. 8 Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Triemli Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  9. 9 Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Canton Hospital Solothurn, Solothurn, UK
  10. 10 Department of Gynaecology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
  1. Correspondence to Dr Brigitte Leeners; brigitte.leeners{at}usz.ch

Abstract

Objectives Endometriosis is a gynaecological disease most commonly causing severe and chronic pelvic pain as well as an impaired quality of life. The aim of this study was to investigate if and how endometriosis affects choices regarding professional life as well as the quality of daily working life.

Design, setting and participants In the context of a multicentre case–control study, we collected data from 505 women with surgically/histologically confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis and 505 matched controls. Study participants were recruited prospectively in hospitals and doctors’ practices in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Using a detailed questionnaire, the study investigated work–life and career choices of study participants.

Main outcome measures Associations between endometriosis/disease symptoms and limitations in career development as well as ability to work.

Results Women with endometriosis were less often able to work in their desired profession than women from the control group (adjusted OR=1.84, 95% CI: 1.15 to 2.94, R2=0.029, p=0.001) and they had to take health-related limitations into consideration in their career decisions to a significantly higher degree than women in the control group (OR=4.79, 95% CI: 2.30 to 9.96, R2=0.063, p<0.001). Among women with endometriosis, chronic pain was significantly associated with increased sick leave (OR=3.52, 95% CI: 2.02 to 6.13, R2=0.072, p<0.001) as well as with loss of productivity at work (OR=3.08, 95% CI: 2.11 to 4.50, R2=0.087, p<0.001).

Conclusions Endometriosis is associated with impairment of professional life, in particular with regard to career choices. Further research to develop strategies to support endometriosis-affected women in realising professional opportunities is recommended.

Trial registration number NCT02511626; Pre-results.

  • endometriosis
  • work
  • professional life
  • pain
  • stress
  • career choice

This is an open access article distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited, appropriate credit is given, any changes made indicated, and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/.

https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2017-019570

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors MLS: collection of data on site in Solothurn and Schaffhausen, interpretation of data, drafting and finalisation of the manuscript. MPH: statistical analysis, interpretation of data, finalisation of manuscript. AKS: investigator, collection of data on site in Winterthur, Switzerland, verification of surgical reports, finalisation of the manuscript. KG: concept of study, collection of data on site in Zurich, management databank, finalisation of the manuscript. MR: investigator, collection of data on site in Berlin, Germany, finalisation of the manuscript. MMW: investigator, collection of data on site in Aachen, Germany, and in Graz, Austria, finalisation of the manuscript. FH: investigator, collection of data on site in St. Gallen, Switzerland, finalisation of the manuscript. SvO: investigator, collection of data on site in Zurich, Switzerland, finalisation of the manuscript. ME: investigator, collection of data on site in Schaffhausen, Switzerland, finalisation of the manuscript. FM: concept of study, investigator on site in Solothurn, Switzerland, finalisation of manuscript. BI: concept of study, investigator on site in Zurich, Switzerland, interpretation of data, finalisation of manuscript. PI: concept of study, investigator and data collection in Zurich, Switzerland, finalisation of the manuscript. BL: principal investigator, concept and conduct of study, investigator on site in Zurich, Switzerland, collection and analysis of data, preparation and finalisation of manuscript.

    • Funding The authors have not declared a specific grant for this research from any funding agency in the public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors.

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Ethics approval Cantonal Ethics Committee Zurich, St Gallen, etc.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

    • Data sharing statement The data set is available on request from the corresponding author.