Table 2.

Categories, subcategories, and codes discovered in the study.

Category	Subcategory	Representative codes
Health-related stressors	Symptom control and uncertainty	Persistent symptoms despite menopause Uncertainty about how disease will progress Mismatch between treatment efficacy and patient expectations Anxiety about follow-up results Frustration over slow symptom relief Uncertainty about when to seek surgery
	Fear of malignancy	Anxiety about potential malignant transformation Distrust of “benign” diagnosis Overestimation of hidden cancer risk Frequent requests for reassurance
	Mental health status	Ongoing anxiety and restlessness Feelings of helplessness and vulnerability Emotional exhaustion from long-term illness Minimization of illness by social environment
Family stressors	Lack of caregiving support	Family rarely accompany to hospital visits Absence of children’s daily tasks Feeling emotionally neglected by family members Insufficient understanding of illness from relatives Perception of being a burden within the household
	Intergenerational guilt	Regret over inability to help adult children Conflict between personal health needs and family responsibilities Pressure from cultural expectations of filial piety
	Marital strain and sexual dysfunction	Discomfort and pain during intercourse Reduced marital communication about sexual health Feelings of distance or estrangement from spouse Concerns about being less valued as a partner
Financial stressors	Healthcare cost burden	High out-of-pocket medical expenses due to lack of insurance Repeated follow-up visits increase cumulative costs Delaying or skipping care due to financial strain
	Post-retirement income challenges	Limited pension insufficient for medical needs Reducing frequency of check-ups to save money Balancing daily expenses with medical costs
Social stressors	Work-related anxiety	Fear of losing employment due to illness Pressure to keep working despite poor health Dependence on work for financial stability
	Hospital attendance stress	Anxiety triggered by noisy hospital environments Discomfort with long waiting times Stress from impersonal hospital interactions Anticipation of hospital visits as a source of fear
	Doctor–patient information gap	Difficulty understanding medical terminology Consultations perceived as rushed Lack of tailored information about prognosis Feeling dismissed when asking questions Confusion over treatment recommendations
	Reliance on peer support and informal education	Emotional reassurance from peer interactions Reliance on patient-to-patient communication Use of mass media for disease knowledge Seeking information from online resources