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Information needs about cancer treatment, fertility, and pregnancy: A qualitative descriptive study of Reddit threads
ABSTRACT
Background:
A reproductive health implication of the increasing incidence of cancer among young adults is the impact of cancer treatment on fertility.
Objective:
As patients are increasingly utilizing the Internet, particularly online forums, to seek and share experiences, our objective was to understand information needs about cancer treatment, fertility, and pregnancy of women with cancer and/or their caregivers as posted on the news website, Reddit.
Methods:
We searched threads (original posts and responses) on four subreddit sites - “r/Cancer,” “r/TryingForABaby,” “r/BabyBumps,” and “r/Infertility” - over a 5‐year period between February 4th, 2014 to February 4th, 2019. Threads with original posts involving a lived experience or question regarding cancer treatment and female fertility and/or pregnancy or parenting/having children – from the perspective of either patient or caregiver were included. We analyzed threads using thematic analysis.
Results:
From 963 Reddit threads identified, 69 were analyzed including 56 with original posts by women with cancer and 13 with original posts by caregivers. From threads originated by patients, we identified themes on building an online community, impacts of cancer treatment and fertility concerns on self and social relationships, making family planning decisions, and experiences with medical team. We also identified a theme on the impact of cancer treatment and fertility concerns on caregivers.
Conclusions:
Reddit provided a rich pool of data for analyzing the information needs of young adult women facing cancer. Our findings demonstrate the far-reaching impacts of cancer treatment and fertility on physical, mental, and psychosocial health for both patients and their caregivers.
Citation
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Copyright
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