Background: Cancer treatments may compromise fertility and family building in reproductive-age women. Previous research has shown that younger women with cancer experienced several reproductive health concerns.
Objective: The aim of this study was to conduct a focused review of existing research about the subjective perceptions of reproductive concerns among young women with cancer (aged 15-49 years) and identify their potential predictors and outcomes.
Methods: A systematic synthesis of mixed-methods research was conducted including peer-reviewed articles in English. Relevant studies were identified through the electronic databases Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest, and Psychology & Behavioral Sciences Collection (through EBSCOhost).
Results: A total of 22 reports met the eligibility criteria (8 qualitative and 14 quantitative). Research showed that younger women reported concerns related to their fertility status and/or own health after conception, their children's health, and their dyadic relationships. Redefinition of the motherhood role and the family future were also a source of concern. However, there is variance among women in concerns and experiences based on life stages and expectations.
Conclusions: Reproductive concerns seem to be affected by personal circumstances and previous therapeutics. These concerns constitute a potential risk factor, simultaneously, for psychosocial maladjustment and adherence to endocrine therapy and fertility care.
Implications for practice: This article proposes a conceptual framework to understand the dimensions and potential predictors and outcomes of perceived concerns among reproductive-age cancer patients. Our data allow us to look at these concerns from a multifactorial perspective, identifying areas to be addressed in providing clinical care, namely, by nurses accompanying patients over an extended period.
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