The Health Care Experiences of Women Diagnosed With Cancer During Pregnancy

Background: To date, most research on cancer during pregnancy (CDP) remains focused on physiological outcomes. Few studies have examined the health care experiences of those with CDP. Objective: The aim of this study was to understand the health care experiences of women with CDP. Interventions/Methods: A longitudinal, interpretive phenomenological design was used. Three in-depth, semistructured interviews were conducted during pregnancy and after birth. Data were analyzed using interpretive/hermeneutic analysis. Results: Ten self-identified women diagnosed with CDP entered the health care setting as atypical patients; a patient with cancer, but also pregnant. Participants described being subjected to an objectified clinical gaze where diagnosis/treatment of their cancer took precedence over the lived experience. Yet, narratives also captured interactions that recognized their personhood, honoring their pregnancy and illness experience. Competing priorities were encountered between participants and their clinicians, and the demands of cancer versus pregnancy. Conclusions: Approaches to care, actions, and perceived attitudes of health care professionals affected participants’ health care experiences. Findings suggested that perceptions of health care encounters were less favorable when care was focused solely on the treatment of the disease, rather than on participants’ lived experience of the illness. Implications for Oncology Nursing Practice: Findings offer a clearer understanding of the unique health care concerns experienced by those with CDP. Skillful nurses and other health care professionals integrate knowing the patient, bearing witness to the challenges created by the collision of cancer and pregnancy, and scientific knowledge into their care.