Reproductive health of women with intellectual disability: antenatal care, pregnancies and outcomes in the Dutch population

Background
Research in a handful of countries found that women with intellectual disability (ID) faced barriers and risks regarding antenatal care and reproductive health. This study tested disparities between women in the Netherlands with and without ID in antenatal care, pregnancy rates and pregnancy outcomes.

Methods
Secondary analyses on the large representative panel of primary health patients in the Netherlands by the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) compared women in their reproductive age (18–49 years) with (n = 2397) and without (n = 228 608) indicators of ID. Bias due to underreporting and under-identification was reduced by linkage with an index of ID for the total Dutch population from Statistical Netherlands.

Results
Women with ID were more likely to receive contraceptive care [95% confidence interval (CI) for odds ratio (OR) = 1.37–1.61] and became somewhat more often pregnant (95% CI OR = 1.06–2.30) than women from the general population, adjusting for age difference and follow-up time. No statistical differences were found in medical complications during pregnancy, delivery and immediately after birth, but women with indicators of ID had a higher risk of losing their pregnancy, including through induced abortion (95% CI OR = 1.26–1.99).

Conclusions
Women with ID have specific needs around contraceptive care and risks around their pregnancy that may require more awareness among practitioners and better understanding of the processes of care and decision-making.