Expectations clinical trials

The Role of Expectations on Complaints and Well-being After Endometriosis Surgery in Women

Endometriosis is a prevalent disease in women of procreative age. Most endometriosis patients are affected in their daily life by complaints such as chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhoea, infertility, or pain during sexual intercourse. Yet, its etiology is poorly understood. Although laparoscopy is well known as the gold standard for treating endometriosis, 20-30% of treated women still show persistent complaints following successful laparoscopy. It has been widely recognized that expectations profoundly affect treatment courses and outcomes in many different health conditions. Additionally, evidence suggests that optimizing preoperative expectations can improve post-operative outcomes such as disability and return to work. The objective of this study is to investigate whether expectations also affect treatment course and outcome in women after endometriosis surgery. For this purpose, the investigators conduct a mixed-method observational cohort study to gather data on psychological factors, particularly treatment and symptom-related expectations, as well as complaints and well-being of patients after surgery. A sample of N = 300 women will be asked pre- and postoperatively to evaluate these psychological factors and indicators of treatment course and outcome. Overall, the study will last 12 months, including one assessment preoperatively (baseline), seven monthly assessments postoperatively, and a follow-up assessment 12 months after endometriosis surgery. The study aims to determine potential interactions between aforementioned psychological factors, their influence on the postoperative health, and the long- and short-term symptom course of patients with endometriosis. The study results will provide a better understanding of the symptom- and treatment course in women with endometriosis and subsequently supply clinical approaches to optimize treatment of endometriosis.