ArticleAutism : the international journal of research and practice2025
Unmet need for autism-aware care for gynaecological, menstrual and sexual wellbeing.
Article in Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
6 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Autism, menstruation and mental health- a scoping review and a call to action.Frontiers in global women's health · 2025Pooled it
- Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Among Youth With Autism and ADHD: A Population-Based Study From Sweden.Autism research : official journal of the International Society for Autism Research · 2026Article
- Autism and the Menopause Transition: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review.Autism in adulthood · 2025Article
- Reproductive health and healthcare experiences in autistic and non-autistic individuals assigned female at birth.Women's health (London, England)Article
- Comment on: 'Living in a world that's not about us': The impact of everyday life on the health and wellbeing of autistic women and gender diverse people.Women's health (London, England)Article
- Understanding the impact of prior depressive and anxiety symptoms and autism diagnosis on menopause symptoms.Women's health (London, England)Observational
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
9 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Autism can make menstruation and menopause and other aspects of reproductive and sexual health (RSH) more difficult. However, healthcare professionals (HCPs) often fail to provide autism-aware care, and often lack the skills or confidence to discuss RSH with patients. This study explored whether autistic people experience particular difficulties and have unmet needs when seeking RSH care. Online surveys consisting of forced-choice items and free-text boxes were completed by 136 autistic adults in the United Kingdom. Quantitative data were analysed using standard parametric and non-parametric tests. Qualitative data underwent thematic analysis. The data provide a clear picture of unmet needs for autism-aware healthcare for RSH. The quantitative data and qualitative analysis revealed that respondents felt: (a) uncomfortable discussing menstrual issues, menopause and sexual wellbeing; (b) that HCPs rarely accommodate their sensory needs and communication preferences; and (c) that HCPs rarely demonstrated awareness of how autism can affect RSH. This novel study highlighted widespread unmet needs for appropriate RSH care for autistic people. Effort is required to enhance HCPs' ability to provide autism-aware care for RSH. The findings could inform the development of resources and training to improve healthcare for autistic people.Lay abstractAutistic people often experience difficulties with healthcare, and are more likely than neurotypical people to have unmet healthcare needs. They may also be more likely to find menstruation and menopause more difficult than neurotypical women. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) often have insufficient training and support to work with autistic adults, and they often lack the skills or confidence to discuss reproductive and sexual health (RSH) with patients. When these two issues are combined, it would appear that autistic people may experience particular difficulties when seeking RSH care. The aim of this study was to explore autistic people's experiences of healthcare related to RSH in the United Kingdom. Surveys were distributed with assistance of an autism charity, and were completed by 136 adults. The survey consisted mainly of tick-box responses, but there were also several opportunities for participants to write comments about their experiences. Respondents felt that HCPs almost never seem to know how autism affects their RSH. There was broad agreement that HCPs need to be more aware of the impact of autism on healthcare experiences in general, and the specific impacts of autism on RSH. The data provide a clear picture of unmet needs for autism-aware healthcare for RSH, but further research is required to explore HCPs' knowledge about how autism affects RSH. Combined with our findings, such research could inform the development of resources and training to improve healthcare for autistic people.
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