A National Profile of Deliveries by Women with Intellectual Disabilities in the US: Maternal Characteristics and Pregnancy Outcomes
UMass Chan Affiliations
Commonwealth Medicine, Center for Health Policy and ResearchDocument Type
PresentationPublication Date
2014-05-05Keywords
pregnancy outcomeswomen with intellectual disabilities
Epidemiology
Maternal and Child Health
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Women's Health
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
Presentation of study that found women with with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) had longer hospital stays and were less likely to have Caesarean section deliveries in contrast to women without these conditions. Rates of adverse pregnancy outcomes were elevated among the women with IDD, across a range of measures. Women with IDD were more likely to have early labor, preterm birth, pre-eclampsia and other hypertensive conditions, and late fetal death or stillbirth. There were no differences between the two groups of women in maternal death rates, which is relatively rarer in the US. Women comprise fewer than 1% of deliveries in the United States, but they and their infants are at significantly elevated risk of adverse outcomes. The public health costs of these outcomes are likely to be substantial. Further research is needed to understand the determinants of these adverse pregnancy outcomes. However, pending further evidence, health care providers are advised that their patients with IDD are at elevated risk of serious pregnancy complications. Intervention to improve these outcomes are needed.Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/27093Notes
Presented at the 2nd Annual International Conference on Health and Medical Sciences, 5-8 May 2014, Athens, Greece.
Presentation summary is on pages 55-56 of conference abstract book.