An Autoethnographic Exploration of My Breast Cancer Journey: Egg Freezing, Childfreeness, and “Going Flat”

ABSTRACT

In this essay, I discuss my personal experience with breast cancer, exploring three intertwined choices: declining medical egg freezing, choosing not to bear children, and opting out of breast reconstruction after a double mastectomy. Through autoethnography, I narrate how being an immigrant Latina cisgender lesbian in Europe influenced my decision-making processes. Challenging common assumptions about the invariably negative emotional impact on survivors of bilateral mastectomy and infertility, I emphasize the importance for me of minimizing additional pain by eliminating “unnecessary” medical interventions. Likewise, I address concerns about body changes, bodily integrity, and the impact of a positive genetic mutation on my family. My aim is to shed light on knowledge production gaps by sharing my journey from a minority perspective.

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Funding

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