Moving beyond pain: the relationship between physical activity and physical self-concept among young women with endometriosis.

Background: Endometriosis is a painful non-curable disease that affects women's quality of life, reducing their self-esteem and consequently their mental well-being. However, enhancing the physical self-concept could induce the development of the self-esteem. A suitable method to increase the physical self-concept would be physical activity (PA). The aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between PA and physical self-concept in women with endometriosis under 30 years old and to evaluate whether the type of PA was associated with different physical self-concept scores. Materials and methods: A total of 198 women under 30 diagnosed with endometriosis responded to a survey. Physical self-concept was assessed using the short version of the Results: Women under 30 years old participating in a regular PA (more than once a week) ( Conclusion: Young women with endometriosis should be advised to participate to a regular PA to increase their physical self-concept and therefore cope better with their anxiety and stress. All types of activities appear to be just as relevant for developing physical self-concept in young women with endometriosis.