title: Chinese medicine improves postoperative quality of life in endometriosis patients: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of Chinese medicine (CM) and Western medicine (WM) on quality of life (QOL) after conservative surgery for endometriosis.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 320 patients with endometriosis were randomized into two groups by using random block design, CM group (160 cases, activating blood circulation and removing blood stasis treatment based on syndrome differentiation) and WM group (160 cases, gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonist or gestrinone treatment) after conservative surgery. Treatment was given for 3-6 months (according to the revised American Fertility Society scoring system stage), and the World Health Organization QOL-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF) was applied to patients before and after treatment to assess QOL.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 136 cases in the CM group and 141 cases in the WM group completing therapy. In the CM group, the use of the WHOQOL-BREF showed that the physical, psychological and environmental scores posttreatment were significantly higher than those at pre-treatment (P < 0.05), and for 12 items (pain and discomfort, energy and fatigue, sleep and rest, mobility, activities of daily living, work capacity, negative feelings, health and social care: accessibility and quality, participation in and opportunities for recreation/leisure activities, appetite, QOL score, overall health status and QOL), the difference in scores was significant (P < 0.05). In the WM group, 4 items (pain and discomfort, opportunities for acquiring new information and skills, QOL score, overall health status and QOL) had significantly different scores post-treatment compared with those at pre-treatment (P < 0.05). Before treatment, the QOL in the two groups of patients showed no significant difference (P > 0.05). After treatment, the scores for physical health in the CM group were significantly higher than those of the WM group (P < 0.05) and the scores of 4 items (mobility, activities of daily living, sexual activity, QOL score) in the CM group were significantly higher than those in the WM group (P < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CM and WM treatment could improve the QOL of patients with endometriosis after conservative surgery. CM treatment is more effective than WM.
authors.affiliation: Shandong University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Jinan, 250355, China. rhzh801@sohu.com
authors.forename: Rui-Hua
authors.initials: RH
authors.lastname: Zhao
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Tan
authors.forename: Zeng-Ping
authors.initials: ZP
authors.lastname: Hao
authors.forename: Qing-Wei
authors.initials: QW
authors.lastname: Meng
authors.forename: Rui
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Di
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Long
authors.forename: Yong-Fen
authors.initials: YF
authors.lastname: Ding
authors.forename: Dian-Rong
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Cai
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Zhi-Zhen
authors.initials: ZZ
authors.lastname: Ren
authors.forename: Yan-Huan
authors.initials: YH
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Ai-Ming
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002681:China; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004715:Endometriosis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000601:surgery*; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010149:Postoperative Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011182:Postoperative Care / Q000379:methods; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D012016:Reference Values; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; D007987:Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone