Table 3

Notable quotations and emerging themes from qualitative interviews

ThemeExample quotations
Menopause‘I was in my late 50s when I had it, so I wasn’t as worried about the hormone impact ‘cause I was already going through menopause.’
‘If I’m in my 20s—maybe my decision, maybe changed? Yeah, but you know, chemotherapy already caused menopause, and I don’t have a plan to have a child or anything.’
Ovarian cancer risk‘They told me (and I already knew) that ovarian cancer is very difficult to find in early stage. Once they find the cancer [it is] already kind of late stage or something. So I totally agree to reduce my risk.’
‘I wanted to reduce those risks as far as I can reduce them, because I, you know, I eventually want to see grandchildren, right?’
‘So I said OK, since I’ve just seen my sister go through ovarian cancer, I’m like no—let’s just get rid of it. We don’t need it.’
Ease of decision‘[You] have to do what you feel is best for you and you think that’s the right decision for you. You make that decision. If you don’t, wait until you feel its right for you.’
‘That was easy, that was. You know done real quick and easy, you know.’
‘It was nothing to discuss… they told me what it was and it was just and I was already in [breast cancer] stage—I think it was 3 or 4, so there was nothing to discuss.’
Seeking support from loved ones‘I talked to my sister… I talked to, you know some friends, just friends in general, but nobody that had actually gone through it.’
‘My husband has always been a little um—he’s been supportive but not overly involved.’
‘This is my practical patient thing is, you know try to take someone with you. I always felt like write your notes out, write your questions out before you go in. Have someone go with you and listen and write the answers down because a lot of times when you’re talking to your health care professional, you can’t always remember after you walk out.’
Following medical advice‘Essentially this decision I just have to go through…I have to just trust the medical staff.’
‘I was very confident in my surgical team. I was very confident in the doctor that followed me after the surgery.’
‘[My doctor] felt like it was imperative, but based on the research. But I felt like, you know, I was in good hands with her…so I felt like it was a good thing for me to do.’
Previous medical experiences‘I just don’t want to go through again another chemotherapy or other complicated situation, so because I already have a complicated breast cancer.’
Increasing personal understanding‘Have someone go with you and listen and write the answers down because a lot of times when you’re talking to your health care professional, you can’t always remember after you walk out.’
‘[The medical staff] gave me information and you know, like. [I got] information from the Internet and stuff like that.’
Emotional impact‘[I wish I had] more information on the impact of it and the emotional impact it had. It did hit me hard when I had the oophorectomy and… I deal with depression and it just seemed to make it that much more worse.’
‘[I felt] mainly nervous. Unsure of the unknown.’
‘I was fully unprepared for the diagnosis of the BRCA.’
‘I feel better knowing now that, you know, I’ve reduced my risks.’