OBJECTIVES: Fibromyalgia is a chronic musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain, fatigue, psychological distress, and sleep disturbances. The symptom complexity and existence of comorbid conditions such as anxiety and depression have been shown to negatively impact patient’s quality of life (QoL). The study objective is to identify the most commonly used QoL instruments in fibromyalgia and to examine the instruments’ psychometric properties. METHODS: A systematic search was conducted from 1990 to 2010 using PUBMED, EBSCOhost, OVID, and ScienceDirect databases. The search was limited to English language and key search terms (e.g., fibromyalgia, quality of life) were used to identify articles of interest. Articles identified were further screened to exclude clinical studies, review papers and studies that discussed development of QoL instruments. RESULTS: The search yielded 74 articles out of which 40 were included in the final review. The review identified 11 generic instruments, 6 disease-specific, and 20 condition-specific instruments that were used in fibromyalgia. Short Form 36 was the most commonly used generic instrument. Among disease-specific instruments, Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQ) was the most commonly used and has 10 domains (physical functioning, feeling well, work missed, job ability, pain, fatigue, morning tiredness, stiffness, anxiety, depression). FIQ was found to have good test-retest reliability (Pearson’s r = 0.56-0.95) and construct validity. Beck Depression Inventory was most commonly used condition-specific instrument. Most of the reviewed studies assessed pain, fatigue, and sleep disorders using visual analog scale. CONCLUSIONS: Fibromyalgia has a profound impact on patient’s quality of life. Among the QoL instruments reviewed, FIQ justifies its use in research and clinical practice given its varied domains and strong psychometric properties.