Midwifery and Women’s Health

Biography

Biography: Hanna Elisabeth Grundström and Siw Alehagen

Abstract

Women with endometriosis often have negative experiences when turning to healthcare services. Previous research has focused on diagnostic delay and experiences of encountering general practitioners. To our knowledge, no study has previously examined women’s experiences of healthcare encounters from a broader perspective, including experiences from encountering all professional categories. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify and describe the experience of healthcare encounters among women with endometriosis. In this study, 9 women aged 23-55 with a laparoscopy-confirmed diagnosis of endometriosis were interviewed. Interviews were conducted using open-ended questions. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using an interpretative phenomenological approach.Two themes were identified in the interview transcripts: being treated with ignorance and being acknowledged. The essence, “the double-edged experience of healthcare encounters” emerged from the themes. The women’s experience was double-edged since it involved contradictory feelings, the encounters were experienced as either destructive or constructive. The findings of this study provided insight into the lives and experience of women with endometriosis. The experience was double-edged: either destructive or constructive for the women. This information is valuable for HCPs encountering these women, as it brings a new level of understanding to how they can improve the care of this group of women.