If you have a disability, those health care needs can sometimes take precedence over gynecological care. You may find it difficult even to access the preventive and routine care you need.
About 27 million women with disabilities have difficulty accessing women’s health care in the U.S.
At UPMC, we believe you should have full access to mammograms, exams, and other screenings. We've focused on delivering accessible care for more than 20 years.
We're committed to serving anyone who needs our care, including women and people who have female reproductive organs.
Disability services help ensure people with physical differences have the same access to care.
For example, if you’re in a wheelchair, getting an annual gynecologic exam or a mammogram is difficult without accessible equipment. You may need a patient lift or a more accessible exam table.
To build our services, we talked with women with disabilities to learn how to make our care better meet their needs. At UPMC Magee-Womens Hospital, we designed a specific center, the Center for Women with Disabilities, which is one of the first such centers in the country.
We also focus on making gynecological and other women-focused exams and screenings more accessible, system-wide.
Lack of accessible equipment makes care for people with disabilities difficult.
Common barriers include:
Plus, many gynecologists feel ill-prepared to care for women with medical disabilities, such as:
This is why women with physical disabilities are less likely to:
There also some specific risk factors related to certain disabilities.
For example, women with neuromuscular disorders are more likely to have complications related to pregnancy and childbirth. These disorders can also weaken pelvic muscles, making care all the more important.
In addition, women who use wheelchairs may have a higher risk of blood clots. Their doctors needs to consider this when prescribing certain types of birth control.
We offer full access to gynecological and well-woman care for women and people with female reproductive organs.
We see people with physical disabilities who need:
We can also help if you need care for:
We offer consulting services to organizations interested in establishing specialty clinics for women with disabilities, including:
The Disability Resource Center at UPMC works to identify and expand the network of clinical services at UPMC for people with disabilities.
The Center for Assistive Technology, a joint program of UPMC and the University of Pittsburgh, works to improve choices in wheelchairs, adaptive keyboards, and personal mobility systems.
UPMC is committed to providing accessible health care to all people. We offer:
By UPMC Editorial Staff. Last reviewed on 2024-09-05.
