Parents/guardians of adolescents and young adults with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities prefer more frequent, neurologist-initiated, comprehensive conversations surrounding sexual and reproductive health, particularly emphasizing menstruation and sexual abuse recognition/prevention.
Drs. Laura Kirkpatrick and Traci Kazmerski conducted a retrospective textual analysis of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) counseling clinical notes for adolescent and young adult people with epilepsy of gestational capacity. They found that child neurologists counsel on SRH topics less frequently than recommended according to the The American Academy of Neurology.
Read more about their findings here: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37348408/
New web guides have been developed for youth with epilepsy. These guides were created collaboratively between people with epilepsy, multidisciplinary physicians, and the Center for Young Women’s Health.
These guides cover topics such as:
Drs. Laura Kirkpatrick, Sonya Borrero, Elizabeth Miller, Mehret Birru Talabi, and Traci Kazmerski interviewed women with epilepsy (WWE) about their perspectives, preferences, and experiences regarding sexual and reproductive health (SRH) care.
Read more: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35247834/
Dr. Kirkpatrick, Dr. Miller, and Dr. Kazmerski surveyed pediatric neurologists on their attitudes and practices regarding sexual and reproductive health for adolescent and young adult women with epilepsy (WWE) with intellectual disability.
Today is International Epilepsy Day and we are highlighting research by Laura Kirkpatrick and Traci Kazmerski that demonstrates suboptimal knowledge, confidence, and care regarding SRH for AYA women with epilepsy among physicians and advanced practice providers.
