Conditions causing disability and current pregnancy among US women with chronic physical disabilities
Lisa I Iezzoni1, Jun Yu, Amy J Wint
1*Mongan Institute for Health Policy, Massachusetts General Hospital †Department of Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA ‡Center for Nursing Research, Villanova University College of Nursing, Villanova, Pennsylvania §Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Massachusetts General Hospital ∥Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
Background:
Growing numbers of reproductive-age US women with chronic physical disabilities (CPD) are becoming pregnant. Little is known about the health conditions causing their CPD.
Objectives:
To identify health conditions causing CPD among reproductive-age women and specifically among currently pregnant women.
Research Design:
Cross-sectional, nationally representative National Health Interview Survey data from 2006 to 2011.
Subjects:
A total of 6043 civilian, noninstitutionalized women aged 18-49 with CPD.
Measures:
National Health Interview Survey asks about various movement difficulties and their underlying causes and about current pregnancy. We used responses from 8 movement difficulty and other questions to identify women with mobility difficulties caused by chronic physical health conditions.
Results:
Among women with CPD, 2.0% report current pregnancy, with pregnancy rates falling monotonically as CPD severity rises. Regardless of pregnancy, 20.8% report 2 causes for their CPD, and 12.7% report 3+ causes; the most common causes are arthritis, back or neck problems, and other musculoskeletal conditions. Compared with nonpregnant women, currently pregnant women report fewer causal conditions: 15.8% report 2 causes and 8.0% 3+ causes; back or neck problems are reported most frequently, followed by musculoskeletal problems and arthritis. Multivariable logistic regression analyses predicting current pregnancy controlling for age category and individual common causes of CPD found that no cause was significantly associated with higher or lower adjusted odds of pregnancy.
Conclusion:
Almost one quarter of currently pregnant women with CPD report more than one cause for their disability. Further research will needed to examine how obstetrical needs vary for depending on the cause of a pregnant woman's disability.
Related Concept Videos
Disorders of the Female Reproductive System
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease I: Introduction
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Smoking is a primary risk factor for COPD, with over 80% of patients having a history of it. Patients typically experience progressive dyspnea or labored breathing, frequent coughing, and recurrent pulmonary infections. Many eventually succumb to respiratory failure, characterized by...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-I: Introduction
Factors Affecting Illness
For instance, risk factors are connected to illness,...
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease-III: Symptoms and Complications.
Symptoms of COPD can be classified as primary or systemic. Primary symptoms relate to reduced airflow, while systemic or extrapulmonary symptoms relate to COPD's broader impact on the body.
Primary Symptoms of COPD:


