OB/GYN Checkups

[Domosoyo]

It's been awhile since I've visited this forum....actually been awhile for anyone visiting this forum. I'm going to put this out there anyway for quad women especially. If you had a pelvic exam was a different table used? Had an appointment and the whole procedure looked very unsafe. The doctor said they could bring in extra people to help but who wants that? The table was able to rise/lower but was a typical exam table with no safety bars etc. A hoyer was brought in to help with the transfer but one look at the hoyer and the exam table base told me that was not going to work. We pulled the plug on the whole visit.

A sign posted inside the clinic said "We welcome everyone" promoting some kind of inclusive experience. Couldn't be further from the truth.

[SCI-Nurse]

Healthcare providers are required to make any modifications to procedures, equipment, and offices to assure that their patients with disabilities receive equal standards of care as their AB patients. There are guidelines on this available from the Access Board that you may want to share with your provider.
https://www.access-board.gov/guidelines-and-standards/buildings-and-sites/about-the-ada-standards/ada-standards/chapter-2-scoping-requirements#223%20Medical%20Care%20and%20Long-Term%20Care%20Facilities

"Table Manners", a booklet on doing gyn exams for women with disabilities was original written by two nurse practitioners who used wheelchairs, while they were working at Planned Parenthood in San Francisco in the 1982. For a while, PP offices were offering hard copies in many locations. It has fallen out of print, but I was able to find a PDF version here:
https://ihdps.ku.edu/sites/ihdps.ku....%20booklet.pdf

Some other materials have been developed based on this:

https://nisonger.osu.edu/wp-content/...ndBeyond-1.pdf

https://fpg.unc.edu/sites/fpg.unc.ed...idersGuide.pdf

You might want to look into getting your gyn exam at a Planned Parenthood location. I my experience, they are much more likely to have disability-friendly providers and equipment. A good friend of mine is a nurse practitioner at a PP clinic, and she has a T4 SCI, so is very familiar with the special needs that women with mobility disabilities may have.

It is possible to do a decent gyn exam on a regular hospital bed rather than an exam table. Stirrups, narrow, high tables, and a lack of safety rails can make a regular gyn clinic exam table unsafe, uncomfortable, and impossible for some women to use.

(KLD)

[Domosoyo]

Thank You so much for all of these resources. We will check into Planned Parenthood and check out your links!