Pregnancy Risk Evaluation and Care

Recommendations at a glance for health care providers to evaluate and tread pregnancy: 

  • Discuss the probability of pregnancy with female patients.
  • Administer a pregnancy test for all patients with reproductive capability.
  • Discuss treatment options with patients, including reproductive health services. 
Patients of different ages, social, cultural, and religious/spiritual backgrounds may have varying feelings regarding acceptable treatment options. Examiners and other involved health care personnel must be careful not to influence patients’ choices of treatment.
 
Discuss the probability of pregnancy with female patients.  The risk of pregnancy from sexual assault is estimated to be 2 to 5 percent. However, pregnancy resulting from sexual assault often is a cause of great concern and significant additional trauma to the victim, so victims’ fears should be taken seriously.[1] 
 
Conduct a pregnancy test for all patients with reproductive capability (with their consent).[2]  An exception is if a patient clearly is pregnant. If a patient is pregnant, the pregnancy may affect what medications can be administered or prescribed in the course of or after the exam. 
 
Discuss treatment options with patients.[3]  In cases of sexual assault, pregnancy is often an overwhelming and genuine fear. Therefore, discuss treatment options with patients, including reproductive health services. 

[1] L. Ledray, SANE Development and Operation Guide, 1998, p. 75.
[2] Preexisting pregnancy may raise patient privacy issues. If the case is prosecuted, the prosecutor should work to address concerns such as this one.
[3] The National Sexual Violence Resource Center (877–739–3895 or 717–909–0710) offers more detailed information about sexual assault and pregnancy on their Web site at www.nsvrc.org.


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