The Importance of Preconception Care for Women With Disabilities

Abstract

Keywords Disability . Pregnancy . Women's HealthOverall estimates of the number of women with disabilities in the United States range from 16.8 to 28.6 million, or approximately one in every five women [1][2][3].A large percentage of these women are in their reproductive years, and they often encounter greater obstacles to receiving health care than women without disabilities [4].Some disabling conditions, such as spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS), have low prevalence rates but are more common in the reproductive age group.Such conditions are often associated with a greater severity of disability and increased need for specialized services, including prenatal care [5].Health care professionals need to be aware of the reproductive health care issues facing women with disabilities and take every opportunity to address them.Sexuality and reproductive health issues have received inadequate attention for women with disabilities.Many women with disabilities desire children and are capable of conceiving, but face considerable pressure not to reproduce [6,7].Although a growing number of women with disabilities are becoming pregnant, anecdotal evidence suggests that many of these women encounter negative attitudes towards their pregnancies and report difficulty receiving comprehensive prenatal care [6].Women with disabilities who become pregnant face similar issues and concerns as pregnant women without disabil-The findings and conclusions in this report are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

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