Ošetřovatelské perspektivy 2022, 5(2):73-83 | DOI: 10.25142/osp.2021.016

SEXUALITY, SEXUAL HEALTH AND GYNAECOLOGICAL PREVENTION OF GIRLS   AND WOMEN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY

Daniela Nedvědová1, Gabriela Světnická1
1 Slezská univerzita v Opavě, Fakulta veřejných politik v Opavě, Ústav nelékařských zdravotnických studií

Background: Sexuality is an inherent part of every individual and ranks among the elementary human needs. Sexuality is closely related to   sexual health and gynaecological examinations as part of gynaecological prevention, which girls (women) with intellectual disabilities should undergo regularly. But do girls have adequate information about the physical changes during puberty, about menstruation, about pregnancy, about gynaecological examinations?
Aim: The aim of the article was to compile relevant informations from available Czech and foreign sources regarding the issues of mentally disabled girls in the field of sexuality, sexual health and gynaecological prevention. Another aim was to find out how pregnancy and childbirth progress in this group of  women.

Methods: The article was conceived as a theoretical essay for which the method of content analysis of documents was used.

Results: Based on the content analysis of the documents, it was found that mentally challenged pregnant women do not regularly visit the gynaecologist for antenatal check-ups. The question is whether these women have inadequate information about pregnancy and essential examinations or whether they simply do not attend prenatal check-ups. It has also been found that gestational diabetes mellitus, pre-eclampsia    and premature birth occur in mentally handicapped girls during pregnancy. If delivery is by the vaginal route there is a risk of fetal shoulder dystocia. Postpartum haemorrhage may occur after delivery. Among neonatal complications, low Apgar score, intrauterine growth retardation, increased stillbirth, perinatal death and higher frequency of neonatal intensive care unit admissions are seen in newborns.

Conclusion: Girls with intellectual disabilities need support to be able to understand themselves and the changes that occur in a woman's body throughout her life. Support for girls in the areas of sexuality, sexual health and gynaecological prevention should be no different from the intact female population. It is only necessary to choose appropriate methods to convey the information. Girls with intellectual disabilities very often lack practical experience, so it is important to educate girls on a practical level as well. Verbal education alone is insufficient because girls with intellectual disabilities lack abstraction. Due to the lack of awareness among girls with intellectual disabilities  on the topic of sexuality and sexual
health, which is also linked to the issue of pregnancy and childbirth, we focused on sensitizing and educating girls with intellectual disabilities in this area.

Keywords: sexual health, sexuality, gynaecological prevention, mentally disabled girls, menstruation, pregnancy,  childbirth, motherhood

Received: November 18, 2021; Revised: December 9, 2021; Accepted: December 13, 2021; Published: December 9, 2022  Show citation

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Nedvědová D, Světnická G. SEXUALITY, SEXUAL HEALTH AND GYNAECOLOGICAL PREVENTION OF GIRLS   AND WOMEN WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITY. Ošetřovatelské perspektivy. 2022;5(2):73-83. doi: 10.25142/osp.2021.016.
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