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Oncólogos ginecológicos en Colorado

Lesbian, Bisexual Women, Trans Men, Non-Binary individuals

and Gynecologic Cancer

Be sure to check out this great cancer resource specifically for LGBTQIA+ community members who have been diagnosed with cancer. 

CancerCare has published an article called Coping With Cancer as an LGBTQ+ Person that may be of interest to some.

Some of the cancers that most often affect those who were assigned female at birth are breast, lung, colorectal, cervical, endometrial, ovarian, and skin cancer.

 

Lesbian and bisexual women as well as trans men may be at increased risk for breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer compared to heterosexual women. Knowing about these cancers and what you can do to help prevent them or finding them early (when the cancer is small, hasn't spread, and might be easier to treat) may help save your life.

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  • Lesbian women are less likely to take birth control pills and may be less likely to bear children. Use of birth control and having children lower the risk of developing ovarian cancer.

  • Obesity is another leading risk factor for ovarian cancer. Maintaining healthy body weight is important for all women.

  • Lack of health insurance and additional barriers can influence lesbians to ignore routine health check-ups because there is less need for contraception and, according to studies, lesbians visit their gynecologist less frequently.

lesbian couple holding hands

Check out these links for more information: 

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Recognizing barriers

Studies suggest that some lesbian and bisexual women get less routine health care than other women, including breast, colorectal, and cervical cancer screening tests. Some of these barriers include:

  • Fear of discrimination: Many lesbian and bisexual women avoid going to the doctor or sharing their sexual orientation and history with their health care provider out of fear. Like many other lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, queer/questioning, asexual (LGBTQIA+) people, some lesbian and bisexual women have been treated poorly or refused care altogether.

  • Lack of provider knowledge and training: Many health care providers report not having education on the unique risk factors and recommended cancer screening tests for LGBTQIA+ people.

  • More likely to be uninsured and experience homelessness: Some health insurance policies do not cover unmarried partners. This makes it harder for many lesbian and bisexual women to get high quality health care.

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Along with reading the CWCA Resource Guide, click this link for LGBTQIA+ specific resources. 

Trans Men and Non-Binary People

There isn't a lot of information about if gynecologic cancers can impact trans men and non-binary people differently than it does cis women.  

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However, CGCA is here for everyone and will continue to support all people who are affected by gynecologic cancer to the best of our abilities.

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Remember, there is great importance in finding a Gynecologic Oncologist that is right for you as well as utilizing all of our wellness programs and other resources that we offer.

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For specific resources, visit the Transgender Men and Non-Binary People page on our website.

 

We are here for you.

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