Pregnancy, Childbirth and Puerperium in Women with Spinal Cord Injury

Abstract

This guideline on pregnancy, childbirth and puerperium for women with spinal cord injury (SCI) presents general issues relating to the wish to have children and pregnancy in the context of SCI. The guideline was developed by the German-speaking Medical Society for Paraplegia (Deutschsprachige Medizinische Gesellschaft für Paraplegiologie, DMGP) and the German Society for Gynecology and Obstetrics (Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gynäkologie und Geburtshilfe, DGGG). As there were no generally available evidence-based guidelines about this complex set of problems, this new guideline aims to standardize procedures using a structured consensus-of-experts approach. The aim is to establish general interdisciplinary standards and provide practical assistance for the care and counseling of women with SCI who wish to have children/are pregnant and thereby close the identified gaps in medical care, information, interdisciplinary cooperation and research.

Keywords

guideline - pregnancy - spinal cord injury - interdisciplinary care

Publication History

Received: 14 November 2024

Accepted: 25 November 2024

Article published online:
05 March 2025

• References/Literatur

• 1 Bertschy S, Geyh S, Pannek J. et al. Perceived needs and experiences with healthcare services of women with spinal cord injury during pregnancy and childbirth – a qualitative content analysis of focus groups and individual interviews. BMC Health Serv Res 2015; 15: 234
• 2 Beatty PW, Hagglund KJ, Neri MT. et al. Access to health care services among people with chronic or disabling conditions: patterns and predictors. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 2003; 84: 1417-1425
• 3 DMGP, DRS, DSQ, FGQ. Pressemappe Querschnittlähmung. Accessed March 09, 2024 at: https://dmgp.de/images/presse/DMGP-DRS-DSQ-FGQ-Pressemappe_online.pdf
• 4 Rau Y, Schulz A-P, Thietje R. et al. Incidence of spinal cord injuries in Germany. Eur Spine J 2023; 32: 601-607
• 5 Bökel A, Blumenthal M, Egen C. et al. Querschnittlähmung in Deutschland. Accessed March 09, 2024 at: https://www.mhh.de/fileadmin/mhh/rehabilitationsmedizin/downloads/GerSCI-Projektbericht_2019.pdf
• 6 Bertschy S, Bostan C, Stute P. et al. Improving reproductive health care services for women with a physical disability: Insights from a community survey of women with spinal cord injury in Switzerland. Clin Obstet Gynecol Reprod Med 2020; 6: 2-7
• 7 Jackson AB, Wadley V. A multicenter study of womenʼs self-reported reproductive health after spinal cord injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil 1999; 80: 1420-1428
• 8 Iezzoni LI, Chen Y, McLain ABJ. Current pregnancy among women with spinal cord injury: findings from the US national spinal cord injury database. Spinal Cord 2015; 53: 821-826
• 9 Robertson K, Dawood R, Ashworth F. Vaginal delivery is safely achieved in pregnancies complicated by spinal cord injury: a retrospective 25-year observational study of pregnancy outcomes in a national spinal injuries centre. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2020; 20: 56
• 10 Sterling L, Keunen J, Wigdor E. et al. Pregnancy outcomes in women with spinal cord lesions. J Obstet Gynaecol Can 2013; 35: 39-43
• 11 Bertschy S, Bostan C, Meyer T. et al. Medical complications during pregnancy and childbirth in women with SCI in Switzerland. Spinal Cord 2016; 54: 183-187
• 12 Diviani N, Zanini C, Jaks R. et al. Information seeking behavior and perceived health literacy of family caregivers of persons living with a chronic condition. The case of spinal cord injury in Switzerland. Patient Educ Couns 2020; 103: 1531-1537
• 13 Hypertensive Disorders in Pregnancy: Diagnosis and Therapy. Guideline of the German Society of Gynecology and Obstetrics (S2k-Level, AWMF Registry No 015/018, June 2024). Accessed November 13, 2024 at: https://register.awmf.org/leitlinien/detail/015-018