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ABSTRACT
Women known to have significantly elevated ovarian cancer risk due to genetic mutations or family history can reduce this risk by surgically removing both ovaries and fallopian tubes (RRBSO, risk-reducing bilateral salpingo-oophorectomy). We used interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA) to explore the psychosocial experiences of women who chose RRBSO for cancer prevention. We extended the traditional use of IPA to compare the experiences of women who chose RRBSO for cancer prevention to those of women who underwent similar gynecologic surgery for benign indications. The analysis resulted in three superordinate themes describing women's psychosocial experiences related to RRBSO: (a) psychological facets of cancer risk (b) social support and (c) shared medical decision making. Findings illustrate that women choosing RRBSO for cancer prevention experience heightened psychosocial challenges before and after surgery compared to women undergoing surgery for benign indication. Furthermore, they may need distinct types of information and support from healthcare providers.
Conflicts of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
Financial disclosures
The authors have no financial disclosures.
Acknowledgments
The authors would like to thank Anne Esacove, Lisa Fein, and Gene Deerman for their helpful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript.
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Rachel Meadows
Rachel Meadows is a third year doctoral student in epidemiology in the College of Public Health at The Ohio State University (OSU). She holds a graduate research position within OSU's comprehensive cancer center under the Susan G. Komen Graduate Training in Breast Cancer Disparities program. Her research is centered on health behaviors and psychosocial factors affecting quality of life, racial and ethnic disparities, and lifestyle behaviors influencing physiological mechanisms leading to chronic disease.