EPA-1348 – Pregnancy and Cancer: A Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Introduction

The presence of cancer in pregnant generates important emotional impact on everyone involved, especially to the young women. Pregnancy and cancerare not infrequently. This study objective to investigate the emotional dynamics of patients diagnosed with cancer and pregnancy. The aims were: to understand why a person with cancer gets pregnant or maintain pregnancy; assess if the experience of pregnancy determines changes in the perception of these women's lives; to analyze the importance of psychological features and to identify failures in family planning guidance.

Method

A qualitative and clinical research approach was used. The framework was content analysis based on thematic categorization. Semistructured interview was used in eleven women who were divided in two groups, one with six cancer patients and the other with five healthy pregnant women classified as low-risk.

Results

pregnant women with cancer showed great difficulty in dealing with the diagnosis, strong sense of mourning, fear of death, ambivalence between fear and joy, life and death. The pregnancy also gave them a feeling of being healthy and able to create life. Psychological care was valued by pregnant women with cancer. Interesting was the way the patients deals with time. To fear face with the fear of death they used shortterm goals in order to stay strong and to fight the disease.

Conclusion

Women showed a clear concern for protecting the conceptus, both during intrauterine and post –natal. It was noticed the importance of psychological care helping them to cope with emotional issues and adherence to treatment.