Reproductive Health for Women with Spinal Cord Injury Video Series
Women with spinal cord injury (SCI) have unique health care issues related to their obstetric and gynecological needs. They represent only about 20% of all individuals with SCI, so information is limited related to their health and wellness. This video series was created to educate women and healthcare professionals on specific medical issues and care of women with SCI.

• Part I - The Gynecological Examination: This video educates healthcare providers on providing women with SCI an accurate, safe and comfortable annual GYN examination. It features interviews of women with SCI and their views on reproductive health issues. Covers management of autonomic dysreflexia, transfers from wheelchair to exam table, positioning on the exam table, breast examination, mammograms and pap smears.
• Part II - Pregnancy & Delivery: This video follows a woman with C5 spinal cord injury and her experiences with pregnancy, and it includes a discussion group of other women who have had children after SCI. Topics focus on the many questions related to becoming pregnant and having  children. It provides suggestions on managing issues of pregnancy, labor and delivery such as medications, bowel & bladder management, urinary tract infection, weight gain/mobility, skin care, respiratory complications, muscle spasms, autonomic dysreflexia.

Pregnancy and Women with Spinal Cord Injury (PDF)
Learn how to prepare for pregnancy, labor and delivery after a spinal cord injury from this fact sheet developed by the Model Systems Knowledge Translation Center. (en español)

Women and Spinal Cord Injury
Women with spinal cord injury are a minority within a minority. Because they make up only about 25% of all people with spinal cord injuries, they can often feel that their needs are not addressed, and they may have a hard time getting answers to their specific questions about health issues unique to their gender. In this panel discussion, five women with spinal cord injuries share their experiences and offer useful information about staying healthy as a female living with a spinal cord injury. Also on the panel is Erica Bechtel, MD, SCI Fellow at the Puget Sound VA Medical Center. The discussion is moderated by UW rehabilitation medicine psychologist Jeanne Hoffman, PhD.

Women with Disabilities and Healthcare Access
This feature article is published in Pushin’ On, the digital newsletter of the University of Alabama at Birmingham Spinal Cord Injury Model System (UAB-SCIMS).