3 Questions to Ask About Obstetric Fistula

It’s the most heartbreaking condition you’ve never heard of. Obstetric fistula is a devastating childbirth-related injury, usually the result of obstructed labour when obstetric care is inaccessible. After a prolonged (multiple day) labour without medical care or access to an emergency caesarean section, a hole between the vagina and the bladder or rectum forms. In most cases, the child is stillborn and the woman is left incontinent, continually leaking urine and/or feces. In addition to the physical trauma, this condition causes extreme shame, societal rejection and social isolation for these women.

Despite being preventable, the World Health Organization estimates between 2 and 3.5 million are currently suffering from obstetric fistula with between 50,000-100,000 more women being affected every year. Obstetric fistula happens in nations where women don’t have universal access to obstetric care, with the majority of new cases each year occurring in sub-Saharan Africa. It happens when the cost or location of adequate care is prohibitive.