MammoVerse: Breast Cancer Sexual Health Focus Groups

June 8, 2026 updated by: University of Central Florida

MammoVerse: Exploring Sexual Health and Intimacy Experiences Among Women Diagnosed With Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study is to explore the lived experiences, emotional challenges, and coping processes related to changes in sexual health and intimacy among women diagnosed with breast cancer. Insights gained from participants' personal experiences will provide a deeper understanding of patients' informational, emotional, and relational support needs, which will inform the development of an AI-driven digital support platform aimed at delivering personalized education, facilitating communication, and improving overall quality of life among women living with and beyond breast cancer in Florida.

The study involves focus group discussions conducted via Zoom and online questionnaires administered to breast cancer patients and survivors.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Study Type

Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

24

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • Florida
      • Orlando, Florida, United States, 32827
        • University of Central Florida

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Floridian women who have been diagnosed with breast cancer can enroll in the study online. Screening: Participants who provide informed consent will then be selfscreened through a brief eligibility questionnaire that is self-administered online. Based on the answers to the eligibility questions below, participants may be self-screened out of the study.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • female
  • diagnosed with breast cancer (current patients and survivors);
  • can provide informed consent;
  • are self-reporting that they are emotionally (based on clinical questionnaires below) and
  • are self-reporting that they are physically able to participate in a 60-minute group discussion.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • prisoners
  • unable to understand English and provide consent

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Qualitative Foundation for Understanding Sexual Health and Intimacy Experiences of Women Diagnosed with Breast Cancer during Focus Group Discussion.
Time Frame: 3 months
To explore how women with breast cancer experience, interpret, and cope with changes in sexual health, intimacy, body image, and partner relationships, and to extract themes that capture shared patterns in lived experiences across participants. This qualitative exploration will employ grounded theory methods to understand intimacy related changes and coping processes in the context of cancer diagnosis and treatment.
3 months
Sexual functioning assessment using Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI)
Time Frame: 3 Months
A validated multidimensional questionnaire assessing sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain, and is widely used in breast cancer survivorship research to evaluate sexual functioning
3 Months
Sexual Distress Assessment using Female Sexual Distress Scale Revised (FSDS R)
Time Frame: 3 months
A validated screening instrument measuring sexually related personal distress, which helps determine the emotional burden associated with sexual dysfunction.
3 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Develop a Grounded Theory Framework for a Pilot Survey Instrument
Time Frame: 1 year
Using grounded theory analysis, emergent qualitative themes will be translated into measurable constructs to inform the design of a lived experience-based pilot survey instrument assessing sexual health and intimacy concerns following breast cancer. This instrument will later be refined and validated in a subsequent quantitative study to evaluate sexual well-being and coping patterns in larger breast cancer populations, supporting theory development and instrument construction through iterative qualitative to quantitative integration.
1 year
Identify Key Themes and Topics for Conversational AI Design
Time Frame: 1 year
To identify language patterns, discussion topics, and interaction themes that can inform supportive care capable of responding empathetically and contextually to sexual health, intimacy, and relationship concerns associated with breast cancer.
1 year

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Central Florida

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

March 12, 2026

Primary Completion (Actual)

June 5, 2026

Study Completion (Actual)

June 5, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

June 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

June 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

June 12, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

June 8, 2026

Last Verified

June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • STUDY00008954

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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