LAUSR

Study design Multicenter  cross-sectional study.ObjectivesTo determine the prevalence of parenthood in long-term wheelchair-dependent persons who sustained a spinal cord injury (SCI) during their reproductive years. Secondary aims were to (1) explore patient-specific and disease-related factors associated with parenthood after SCI; and (2) quantify fertility aids used by men with SCI.SettingEight specialized SCI rehabilitation centers in the Netherlands.MethodsQuestionnaires and physical examination were applied in 255 persons with SCI. Prevalence rates of parenthood among the general Dutch population were used for comparison. Logistic regression analyses were used to explore factors associated with parenthood after SCI.ResultsPrevalence of parenthood in SCI was 50% in men and 45% in women, which was significantly (P < 0.05) lower than rates in the general population (74% in men and 81% in women). Among the parents with SCI, most (66% of males and 72% of females) of them had children after SCI. Parenting children after SCI was associated with partnership (OR = 14.5, P < .001 [men]; OR = 3.7, P = .05 [women]), normal micturition (OR = 4.9, P = .02 [men]), incomplete lesion (OR = 5.4, P = .03 [women]), and paraplegia (OR = 7.3, P = .02 [women]). The most frequently used methods for ejaculation and fertilization were electroejaculation (29%) and intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (23%).ConclusionsPrevalence of parenthood in SCI persons is low. However, half of the persons with SCI do become parents, with most doing so following SCI. Demographic and disease-related factors may contribute to this.