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Gynecologic Health Care of Women With Disabilities

From the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, the Independent Study Program for Medical Students, and the Center for Educational Development of the University of Illinois at Chicago and the Center for Nursing, Northwestern University, Chicago, Illinois

Abstract

Information about their gynecologic health care was obtained from 55 women with acquired and congenital disabilities, 42% of whom were disabled after menarche. Although 91% of the entire group had received breast and pelvic examinations and Papanicolaou smears since their disability, only 18.8% had received counseling about sexuality and 64.6% had received information about contraception. However, those disabled after menarche were significantly less likely (P = .001) to be satisfied with the counseling or method they received. Women with paralysis, impaired motor function, or obvious physical deformity were rarely offered contraceptive information or methods. These findings may be related in part to the characteristics of the patient group. However, we suggest that special attention needs to be directed to those disabled after menarche with respect to issues such as sexuality and contraception. This can be accomplished in part through improved education of health professionals regarding the various aspects of gynecologic health care for the disabled.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. M. Altman Does Access to Acute Medical Care Imply Access to Preventive Care?: A Comparison of Women With and Without Disabilities Journal of Disability Policy Studies, January 1, 1997; 8(1-2): 99 - 125. [Abstract] [PDF]