Between 10% and 12% of women of reproductive age have a disability. Women with disabilities are more likely to delay initiating prenatal care and are at higher risk of poor health conditions that affect maternal and infant outcomes, including gestational diabetes, obesity, chronic hypertension, hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (e.g. pre-eclampsia), cesarean section, and low birth weight.
Women with disabilities report that health care providers are not knowledgeable about the specific support needs and other resources for women with disabilities during pregnancy and after birth, or that health care providers have negative attitudes or misconceptions about the birth preferences and capabilities of women with disabilities.
To reduce some of the personal, social and structural barriers to reproductive care for women with disabilities:
Women with disabilities can:
Providers and support personnel can:
Anticipate and respond to the special needs of women with disabilities, for example, specialized medical equipment, accessible height of examination tables, and other equipment and supports to optimize gynecological and other health examinations; Provide reproductive health information and promote acceptance of women’s right to consensual sexual expression, including the rights of women with intellectual and other disabilities; Recognize and plan for pregnancy preferences of women with disabilities; Provide infant care equipment, such as cribs and changing stations, that are accessible to women with disabilities; Learn and implement tips for communicating with female patients with intellectual disabilities.
Healthcare and data systems can:
Collect and use administrative, clinical, and population health data to better understand and address the needs and risks of people with disabilities related to pregnancy and reproductive health.
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