Sexual Wellbeing and Endometriosis: A Scoping Review Protocol

Endometriosis is a chronic condition affecting 10% of reproductive aged girls and women globally and an unmeasured number of gender diverse people. Experiences of endometriosis can greatly affect sexual wellbeing, as pain with insertive sexual intercourse and orgasm are not uncommon. However, current definitions and measures of sexual wellbeing within endometriosis literature may lack nuance. For example, the predominance of sexual satisfaction is often based on orgasm or sexual activity frequency, and heteronormative and gendered ideologies may centre penile-vaginal intercourse as the only type of sexual activity people engage in. As well, although it is established in the literature that endometriosis negatively impacts people’s sexual lives, limited research explores how people with endometriosis experience and navigate their sexual wellbeing. Our objectives are to: (1) map the types of evidence available related to sexual wellbeing among people with endometriosis; (2) identify key constructs related and adjacent to sexual wellbeing in endometriosis literature; and (3) identify knowledge gaps within the endometriosis literature regarding sexual wellbeing. We will conduct this proposed scoping review in accordance with the JBI methodology for scoping reviews originally outlined by Arksey and O’Malley’s foundational framework, while undertaking further guidance from Levac et al., and Peters et al. This protocol follows the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR). The findings of this review will be useful to inform future research projects related to sexual wellbeing and endometriosis.