Project:
The need for health and support services in women with SCI during pregnancy and child birth.

Women with spinal cord injury (SCI) are able to give birth to a child. Beside medical risk factors, there might be various further reasons for women with SCI not to become mothers. Overall, it seems that health and support services for women with SCI during pregnancy and child birth could be optimized. There is currently little research on the need for health and support services in women with SCI during pregnancy and child birth. Studies of the reproductive experiences of women with disabilities, including SCI, are rare. The identification of barriers and needs would contribute to an enhanced support service system for pregnant women with SCI. This would also meet the research necessity postulated by the WHO which promotes research on sexual and reproductive health of persons with disabilities.
Therefore, this PhD project examines the need, current and target state of health and support services for women with SCI during pregnancy and child birth in Switzerland.

Aims:
(1) to give an epidemiological account of pregnancy and child birth in women with SCI in Switzerland.
(2) to identify from the perspective of the service providers existing health care and support strategies and how the needs of women with SCI during pregnancy and child birth are addressed.
(3) to identify health and support services needs from the perspective of women with SCI during pregnancy and child birth.