Focus on: Obstetric Fistula
What is obstetric fistula?
Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal and is linked to obstructed labour, which is in turn one of the prinicple causes of maternal mortality. The World Health Organization estimates that over 2 million women worldwide currently suffer from obstetric fistula.
The World Health Organization's fact file about this largely preventable condition is as follows:
10 Facts on Obstetric Fistula
1. Obstructed labour occurs in 5% of live births and accounts for 8% of all maternal deaths. It is one of the four major causes of maternal mortality and morbidity.
2. Obstetric fistula is a hole in the birth canal caused by obstructed labour. It is estimated that more than 2 million young women live with untreated obstetric fistula in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa.
3. Each year, between 50 000 to 100 000 women worldwide develop obstetric fistula.
4. Women who experience this preventable condition suffer constant urinary incontinence which often leads to social isolation, skin infections, kidney disorders and even death if left untreated.
5. Obstetric fistulae can largely be avoided by delaying the age of first pregnancy, by the cessation of harmful traditional practices and by timely access to quality obstetric care.
6. Most fistula occur among women living in poverty in cultures where a woman’s status and self-esteem may depend almost entirely on her marriage and ability to bear children.
7. Obstetric fistula still exists because health care systems fail to provide accessible, quality maternal health care, including family planning, skilled care at birth, basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care, and affordable treatment of fistula.
8. In 2008 over 2000 health professionals were trained in preventing and managing obstetric fistula.
9. Patients with uncomplicated fistulae can undergo a simple surgery to repair the hole in their bladder or rectum. The treatment cures up to 90% of obstetric fistula patients. However, since 2003 only 12 000 women in over 45 countries have received obstetric fistula treatment in Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
10. Preventing and managing obstetric fistula will contribute to improved maternal health, the fifth Millennium Development Goal.
