Infl uence of Physical Disability on Pregnancy and Motherhood

In developing world, increase in quality of life has also changed the expectations of people with physical disabilities. Despite being with physical disabilities, there is also an increasing in the number of women who are interested in becoming mothers and raising children. However, many women with physical disabilities when became pregnant/want to get pregnant, usually are faced various obstacles, such as environmental and physical limitations, differential attitudes and behaviors, inadequacies of medical care and rehabilitation services, education and economic constraints, etc. and they can not reach health care services they need. For that reason, mothers with physical disabilities face several issues in their prenatal, delivery and postpartum periods. Health care provider who has ethical and professional responsibility to provide optimal care for all patients, must aim at a holistic approach to the care of women with physical disabilities. They must provide support and counseling for eliminating the health care needs to women with physical disabilities. In this review, according to literature, we will discuss issues which women with physical disabilities experience in their prenatal, delivery and postpartum periods, and roles of the health care professionals in solving these problems.