Chemotherapy-Induced Premature Menopause Among Latina Women With Breast Cancer: An Interpretive Description: A Dissertation

Abstract

The description and interpretation of Latinas’ experience with chemotherapyinduced premature menopause from breast cancer treatment were explored in this study, which utilized an interpretive descriptive method from a feminist lens, and Knobf’s (1998, 2002) “Carrying on” theory. The specific aims of the study and the interview questions were guided by the state of the science literature. Overall, the impact of physiological effects, psychosocial effects, barriers, influencing factors that made their experience easier or harder, and how participants adjusted to a cancer diagnosis, treatment course, and menopause transition were described as bigger than the menopause experience alone. Participants also described a period of uncertainty or “ever-changing landscape” that began at the time of diagnosis and continued through survivorship. The impact of information, access to healthcare, acculturation levels, support, and a sense of control were elucidated as important factors in “working through” the experience. A range of collateral data sources were employed. Study limitations and future implications for practice, research, and health policy were demarcated.