beyond this, women in segregation are sometimes subjected to sexual abuse or physical harassment by their male guards. they are often forced to undergo thorough strip searches, during which the guards are more forceful and invasive than is strictly necessary and serves mostly to demonstrate the guards’ authority over the inmates. because so many female inmates have been victims of sexual or physical abuse, this forces them to relive the trauma of their previous abuse. this can be especially devastating for women whose mental states are already deteriorating, due to prior mental illness or to the effects of being in segregation. it can also result in pregnancy, and pregnant women in solitary confinement—whether the pregnancy was a result of a rape by a guard or not—are often denied proper medical care.