PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Joanne E. Wilkinson
AU  - Mary C. Cerreto
TI  - Primary Care for Women with Intellectual Disabilities
AID  - 10.3122/jabfm.2008.03.070197
DP  - 2008 May 01
TA  - The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine
PG  - 215--222
VI  - 21
IP  - 3
4099  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/21/3/215.short
4100  - http://www.jabfm.org/content/21/3/215.full
SO  - J Am Board Fam Med2008 May 01; 21
AB  - Women with intellectual disabilities (ID) need thoughtful, well-coordinated care from primary care physicians. They are particularly susceptible to experiencing disparities in care because of varied participation in shared decision making. This review of the current literature comments on the quantity and quality of existing studies regarding several key women's health issues: menstrual disorders, cervical and breast cancer screening, contraception, and osteoporosis. A review of the current thinking regarding ethical and legal issues in medical decision making for these women is also provided. We found that there are several high-quality studies recommending early and frequent screening for osteoporosis, which is more common in women with ID. Smaller and fewer studies comment specifically on techniques for accomplishing the gynecological examination in women with ID, although the cervical cancer screening recommendation should be individualized for these patients. Consensus data on the management of menstrual problems and contraception in women with ID is provided. There are some data on breast cancer incidence but few articles on methods to improve screening rates in women with ID.