Medical complications during pregnancy and childbirth in women with SCI in Switzerland

A retrospective interview study of mothers with spinal cord injuries (SCIs) who gave birth over the last 15 years.

To identify the medical complications of women with SCIs during pregnancy and childbirth in Switzerland and to describe how they dealt with these complications.

Swiss Paraplegic Research in Nottwil, the University of Lausanne and participants' homes.

Data were collected by self-reported questionnaires and descriptive analysis was conducted.

Seventeen women with SCIs who gave birth to 23 children were included. Thirteen of the women were paraplegics and four were tetraplegics. All of them practiced an independent bladder management. Three women changed their bladder management techniques during pregnancy. Five women reported an increased bladder evacuation frequency during pregnancy, and six women reported a new onset or increase in incontinence. We observed no significant increase in bowel dysfunction or skin breakdown due to their pregnancies. Ten women were hospitalised during the course of their pregnancies. Aside from urinary tract infections/pyelonephritis, women were hospitalised for falls, hypertension, pneumonia, preeclampsia, pre-term labour or tachycardia.

The results of our study clearly demonstrated that, although medical complications are not infrequent during pregnancy in women with SCIs, pregnancy and delivery in this group of women are possible without posing intolerable risks to the mothers or the children. Urological problems seemed to be the most frequent complication during pregnancy.