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Evaluation of a family planning program for individuals with mental retardation

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Abstract

An evaluation was conducted to answer the question: Can a specially designed program for women with mental retardation increase the use of birth control methods? Results indicate there was a significant shift to permanent birth control for the treatment group, from 42.5 percent at baseline to 68.0 percent after one year. The results suggest that an intensive, individually designed prevention program can reduce the occurence of unwanted pregnancies for women with mental retardation.

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McDermott, S., Kelly, M. & Spearman, J. Evaluation of a family planning program for individuals with mental retardation. Sex Disabil 12, 307–317 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02575322

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