The Pregnant Orthopaedic Surgeon: Risks and Precautions

Lauren E. Wessel, MD; Mary K. Mulcahey, MD; Karen M. Sutton, MD

Gender distribution in medical education has now equalized with roughly half of medical students being women. In contrast, orthopaedic surgery residency programs have lagged behind other subspecialties in recruiting women. Only 14 percent of orthopaedic residents and 6 percent of active AAOS fellows are female. It is important to address the factors that can be modified to reduce gender disparity within the field.