Knowledge gap, lack of counseling pose barriers to contraceptive use among women with CKD
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Key takeaways:
- About 5% to 10% of women with kidney disease use contraceptives, compared with 60% of the general population.
- Patients complained about a lack of communication between their providers in different specialties.
A lack of knowledge about reproductive health and inadequate counseling from physicians were cited as barriers to contraceptive use among women with chronic kidney disease, according to a qualitative study published in Kidney Medicine.
“Our findings were surprising and showed that females with kidney disease receive inadequate counseling for contraceptive use, there are insufficient educational resources available, and there is lack of interdisciplinary care coordination for contraceptive use,” Silvi Shah, MD, MS, FACP, FNKF, FASN, FAST associate professor of medicine at University of Cincinnati told Healio.
About 5% to 10% of women with kidney disease use contraceptives, compared with 60% of the general population, Shah and colleagues wrote.
To understand why contraceptive use is low among women with kidney disease, the researchers conducted focus group interviews with 16 patients, looking for recurring themes.
“Participants shared that their knowledge regarding reproductive health with
kidney disease stems from their experience or research, not from counseling by
health care providers,” the researchers wrote. “Patients express frustration and ‘heartache’ caused by a lack of knowledge regarding fertility and reproductive health.”
The patients also complained about the lack of coordination between their nephrologist and gynecologist and said that their providers were hesitant to answer questions outside their specialty.
“The study findings highlight unawareness about contraceptive use for patients with kidney disease and emphasize the need to incorporate counseling in clinical practice to improve reproductive health care,” Shah told Healio. “There is a critical need to do research to improve reproductive health for women with kidney disease.”
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