Exploring Attitudes Toward Dating BRCA Positive Previvors
Beyond health risks and other issues, previvors have voiced specific concerns and difficulties about dating. Many previvors report that having a male or female partner who is understanding of their BRCA status and supportive of their decisions about cancer risk-reducing surgeries is important. However, few studies have identified male partners’ views toward risk-reducing surgeries, and no studies have assessed the views of female partners.
What was this study about?
I and two other researchers wanted to explore the attitudes of males and females in the general population about entering and maintaining a romantic relationship with women who are BRCA positive previvors. Specifically, we wanted to learn if these individuals’ willingness to date a woman is changed by her BRCA positive status or by her choice to have risk-reducing surgeries. …