A qualitative study on self‐image, mental well‐being and fertility among female young adult childhood cancer survivors

Abstract

AbstractIntroductionYoung female adult childhood cancer survivors have frequently been reported to be concerned about their health, in particular their future fertility. The aim of this study was to examine how self‐image, mental health and perceptions of the fertility of young female adults are affected by the illness.MethodsA qualitative study with interviewer‐administered semistructured questions was performed from May 2018 to October 2020 at Sahlgrenska University Hospital, Sweden. Fourteen women participated in the study. The median age of the participants was 27 (25–31) years.ResultsThe interviews were recorded and analysed inductively by a thematic approach. Forty‐one codes were created, of these 21 initial codes were found to be related to the aim of the present study. Subsequently, four broad themes were created and these were reanalysed and constituted three main themes, resulting in the labelling: ‘An experience for better and worse’, ‘An everyday life similar and yet different from peers’ and ‘An uncertain fertility’, and a relevant number (11) of inclusive subthemes. Participants expressed that the experience of surviving childhood cancer both strengthened and impaired their everyday life and implied the lack of information about fertility.ConclusionsAlthough a long time, over 10 years, had passed since the cancer treatment for all participants, the experiences of the illness were still present in their lives, both for better and worse. Healthcare workers need to keep this complexity in mind when facing young childhood cancer survivors. Thus, there is a need for individualized support regarding fertility and mental health.