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TOPLINE
Women with cerebral palsy were significantly less likely to undergo routine gynecologic examinations, Pap tests, and mammography than those without the condition.
METHODOLOGY
- Researchers analyzed a retrospective dataset to assess whether women with cerebral palsy received fewer gynecologic preventive services than those without the condition.
- They identified US women aged 20-69 years using insurance claims data spanning 2010 through the first quarter of 2022.
- The final analysis included 138,277 women with cerebral palsy matched by age with 553,102 women without the condition.
- Researchers assessed the receipt of routine gynecologic examinations, Pap tests, and mammography in 5-year intervals.
TAKEAWAY
- Across all age groups, fewer women with cerebral palsy underwent routine gynecologic examinations, Pap tests, and mammography than those without the condition (P < .001 for all).
- In an adjusted analysis, women with cerebral palsy had 85% lower odds of undergoing routine gynecologic examinations, 74% lower odds of undergoing Pap tests, and 61% lower odds of undergoing mammography than those without the condition (P < .001 for all).
IN PRACTICE
"The present study found that women with CP [cerebral palsy] are receiving preventive gynecologic care significantly less than their non-CP counterparts. While the cause of this is multifactorial, decreased preventive care is likely to result in a significant reduction in health quality," the researchers wrote.
SOURCE
The study was led by Michael J. Gouzoulis, MD, of UMass Chan Medical School in Worcester, Massachusetts. It was published online on August 17 in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
LIMITATIONS
Researchers relied on claims data and could not establish cause-effect relationships. They used administrative coding to identify procedures. Care patterns may have changed over time.
DISCLOSURES
The study did not report specific funding sources. One author disclosed receiving a fellowship from Yale University School of Medicine and serving as an associate editor for a medical journal. Another author reported being on board of directors and editor for a journal. One author reported paid consulting roles with multiple orthopedic companies and board membership in a professional society. Detailed disclosures are available in the original article.
This article was created using several editorial tools, including AI, as part of the process. Human editors reviewed this content before publication.
