Reproductive health in women with bipolar disorder: A comparative study
Objective: The aim of the study was to determine what problems female bipolar patients have in terms of reproductive health.
Method: The study is descriptive and was conducted with 358 female patients with bipolar disorders and 346 healthy control group. Data were collected through face-to-face interviews and a questionnaire based on the literature and prepared by the researchers which was designed to determine the kinds of reproductive health issues the patients were experiencing
Results: It was found that compared with healthy women, the distinctive features of the participants in terms of sexuality were more negative; were more likely to have been forced by their partners to have sex, they had suffered from rape and sexually transmitted diseases, they were most likely to choose the method of withdrawal for contraception, their rates of unplanned pregnancy and curettage were high, they received less antenatal care, and they were more likely to have smoked during pregnancy.
Conclusion: It was found that female patients with bipolar disorders had more negative attributes with regard to sexuality, family planning, maternal characteristics and pregnancy, compared with a corresponding healthy population.
Key words: Bipolar disorders; family planning services; reproductive health; sexuality
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