Introduction:

It is important for women with cancer, especially younger ones, to receive counseling about contraception before and after treatment. However, only a minority among health professionals -most often nurse practitioners- has been trained to discuss cancer patients' fertility. This study describes the negotiations between women with cancer and nurses, based on these women's contraception practices.

Objective:

To describe the negotiations between nurses and women diagnosed with cancer in a highly complex cancer care hospital in Colombia where women attend a contraceptive counseling consultation with a nursing professional before receiving radiotherapy treatment.

Methodology:

This is a qualitative descriptive study analyzing recorded counseling sessions in which 13 women with cancer and two nurses participated. From a naturalistic perspective, content analysis was carried out on the conversation sequences between the nurse and the woman during the consultation.

Results:

Two categories were identified. 1) Joint construction of knowledge and 2) empowerment. The first category includes dialogue with experts, collaborative interactions, and negotiation of authority; the second one develops women's needs and their decision-making. In the counseling, the institutional protocol was followed, active listening was provided, allowing the expression of feelings and the negotiation of planning methods. The empowerment that nurses promote in women favors decision making.

Conclusion:

This study highlights the importance of nursing counseling on sexual and reproductive health aimed at women with cancer. It constitutes a contribution to comprehensive care strategies for women and to the promotion of better nursing practices.