One of the worst things that can happen to a woman is an obstetric fistula, an internal injury caused by an unrelieved obstructed labour during childbirth.
What Causes Obstetric Fistula?
An obstetric fistula is a preventable childbirth injury caused by a prolonged and obstructed labour when the woman doesn’t have access to emergency medical care such as a caesarean section. This results in a devastating injury — a hole forms between the birth canal and bladder and/or rectum resulting in the uncontrollable leaking of urine and faeces.
Fistula deeply affects a woman’s life; it causes horrific, life-altering damage to the woman’s body, and brings with it shame, deepening poverty and social rejection.
Tragically, over 90% of women who suffer an obstetric fistula will give birth to a stillborn baby, a double tragedy, often after an agonising obstructed labour that has lasted several days.
How does Obstetric Fistula Impact a Woman's Life?
Although the condition is almost entirely preventable, it is still a huge public health issue. Without an understanding of the complication and its causes, women in Ethiopia are frequently blamed for their condition.
Obstetric fistula symptoms include urinary and/or fecal incontinence that can lead to severe infections and ulcerations of the vaginal tract. Some patients suffer from paralysis caused by nerve damage.
Survivors are often subject to severe social stigma due to their smell, perceptions of uncleanliness, a mistaken assumption of venereal disease and, in some cases, infertility.
In rural areas with minimal access to water, it can be impossible for a woman with an obstetric fistula to access basic sanitation and remain dry and clean.
Nearly all patients at the Addis Ababa Fistula Hospital in Ethiopia report psychological issues associated with their condition.
These terrible injuries leave women trapped in a life of pain, shame, and isolation.
Obstetric Fistula in Ethiopia
Each year around 1,000 women will suffer from a fistula injury in Ethiopia.
In Ethiopia, nearly 80% of people live in rural areas. Half of all Ethiopian women give birth at home with no medical supervision, often leading to complications resulting in horrific childbirth injuries like obstetric fistula.
Around 50% of the global burden of obstetric fistula occurs in sub-Saharan Africa, largely due to the lack of accessible healthcare, particularly in rural regions.
In Ethiopia, it is estimated that 30,000 women are still living with untreated obstetric fistula, often unaware that treatment is available.
Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia provides world-class obstetric fistula treatment to restore the health and dignity of women who have survived this horrendous, preventable childbirth injury.
