title: Pregnancy in women with physical disabilities.
abstract: Women with disabilities are growing in number and increasingly interested in becoming mothers and raising children. However, health care providers are often unfamiliar with the health care needs of this group of women and overlook the important issues that make the difference between positive and negative experiences of these women. This article describes the preconception, antenatal, pregnancy, and postpartum issues of women with disabilities and suggests approaches to ensuring that women with disabilities have successful reproductive experiences.
authors.affiliation: Center for Nursing Research, College of Nursing, Villanova University, PA 19085.. Electronic address: suzanne.smeltzer@villanova.edu.
authors.forename: Suzanne C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Smeltzer
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002648:Child; D002654:Child Care; D003144:Communication Barriers; D036861:Delivery, Obstetric; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D008427:Maternal Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010358:Patient Participation / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D011181:Postnatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D011209:Power, Psychological; D016742:Preconception Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011247:Pregnancy; D011248:Pregnancy Complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D011287:Prejudice; D011295:Prenatal Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States