title: Female sterilization is more common among women with physical and/or sensory disabilities than women without disabilities in the United States.
abstract: Female sterilization accounts for 50% of all contraceptive use in the U.S. The extent to which U.S. women with physical and/or sensory disabilities have undergone female sterilization is unknown.
  
  
  
  Our primary objective was to determine the prevalence of sterilization for women with physical/sensory disabilities, and compare this to the prevalence for women without disabilities. We also compared use of long-acting reversible contraceptive (LARC) methods between women with and without disabilities.
  
  
  
  We conducted a secondary analysis of data from the National Survey of Family Growth 2011-2013, a population-based survey of U.S. women aged 15-44. Bivariate comparisons between women with and without disabilities by female sterilization and LARC use were conducted using chi-square tests. Using logistic regression, we estimated the odds of female sterilization based upon disability status.
  
  
  
  Women with physical/sensory disabilities accounted for 9.3% of the total sample (N = 4966). Among women with disabilities only, 28.2% had undergone female sterilization, representing 1.2 million women nationally. LARC use was lower among women with disabilities than those without disabilities (5.4%, 9.3%, respectively, p < 0.01). After adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, education, insurance, marital status, parity, and self-reported health, women with disabilities had higher odds of sterilization (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03, 1.79).
  
  
  
  The odds of female sterilization is higher among women with physical/sensory disabilities than those without disabilities. Future research is necessary to understand factors contributing to this finding, including possible underutilization of LARC methods.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, 1018 Fuller Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA. Electronic address: justinep@med.umich.edu.
authors.forename: Justine P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, 1018 Fuller Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA.
authors.forename: Michael M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: McKee
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, 1018 Fuller Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA.
authors.forename: Kimberly S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Mckee
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Meade
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, 1018 Fuller Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Plegue
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, University of Michigan, 1018 Fuller Street, Ann Arbor, MI, 48108, USA; Department of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, 48104, USA.
authors.forename: Ananda
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Sen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D003268:Contraception Behavior / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D013245:Sterilization, Reproductive / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Female sterilization; National Survey of Family Growth; Physical disability; Sensory disability; Women with disabilities