Current pregnancy among women with spinal cord injury: Findings from the US national spinal cord injury database

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Study examined the prevalence of pregnancy and associations with sociodemographic and clinical factors among women with spinal cord injury (SCI) enrolled in the United States (US) National SCI Database (NSCID). The NSCID collects data from patients receiving services at SCI Model Systems centers at years 1 and 5 and then every 5 years post injury. The data include SCI clinical details, functional impairments, participation measures, depressive symptoms and life satisfaction. Women aged 18 to 49 years are asked about hospitalizations in the last year relating to pregnancy or its complications. The data for this study represent 1,907 women who completed 3,054 interviews. Generalized estimating equations were used to examine bivariable associations between pregnancy and clinical and psychosocial variables and to perform multivariable regressions predicting pregnancy. Results showed that 2 percent of the women reported pregnancy during the prior 12 months. This annual prevalence differed significantly by the years elapsed since injury; the highest rate occurred 15 years post injury (3.7 percent). Bivariable analyses found that younger age at injury was significantly associated with current pregnancy. Compared with nonpregnant women, those reporting current pregnancy were significantly more likely to be married or partnered, have sport-related SCI, have higher motor scores and have more positive psychosocial status scores. Multivariable analyses found significant associations between current pregnancy and age, marital status, motor score and mobility and occupation scale scores. Current pregnancy rates among reproductive-aged women with SCI are similar to rates of other US women with chronic mobility impairments.

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