Abstract
Twenty-five female patients with spinal cord injury were interrogated about their menstrual periods. The following observations were noted: the majority of females had a return of their menses within the first six months after injury; 50 per cent, have not missed a single period; in this series, one patient had a return of menstruation after 16 months and another after 30 months; level and extent of the lesion did not appear to play a role; presence or absence of sacral reflex arcs did not play a role; females who are in or near the climacteric period of life will probably lose their menses; dysmenorrhea ceased to be a painful experience after injury.
Four patients were pregnant at time of injury, and five patients were pregnant after injury. The following observations were noted: none of the patients pregnant at time of injury aborted their pregnancies; all babies were delivered vaginally except one by caesarean section; there were far less renal complications associated with pregnancy among those patients who had children prior to injury; the obstetrician must be aware of autonomic dysreflexia and its management in order to differentiate it from a pre-eclampsia.
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Comarr, A. Observations on menstruation and pregnancy among female spinal cord injury patients. Spinal Cord 3, 263–272 (1966). https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1965.43
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sc.1965.43
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