Risk–benefit perception of pregnancy among breast cancer survivors

Helping breast cancer patients who desire a pregnancy after cancer treatment is a vital issue. Little is known about the complex context of the decision to become pregnant after breast cancer treatment. The purpose of this study was to understand the risk–benefit perception of choosing conception or contraception after treatment in Taiwan. We applied grounded theory to guide this exploratory qualitative study. Data were collected through in-depth interviews with 16 breast cancer patients. Pregnancy was addressed in the context of cancer as a potentially life-threatening diagnosis and its treatment. The verbatim transcriptions were analysed using constant comparative analysis and methods of open, axial and selective coding. The core theme that described the risk perception of pregnancy among patients with breast cancer after treatment focused on “reaching the balance of life.” Seven dimensions of risk–benefit perception of pregnancy, including perceived health status, safety, expected gain, harm, loading, support and time were explored among women treated for breast cancer. We found that women treated for breast cancer applied risk–benefit perceptions to decide whether to become pregnant. Implementing contextual counselling could help to decrease perceived barriers to choose pregnancy and increase the quality of pregnancy care.